Unlikely Union
by chakragoddess
Summary: BxV fanfic that takes place during the three years between Namek & the androids.  Rated M for future lemon.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone,

This is my first DBZ fanfiction, though I have written a few fanfiction stories before. I'm generally a canon girl, but I may tweak a little. I also like to write lemons (thus the M rating), but not a lemon for lemon's sake. It needs to be worked into the storyline and be meaningful. Not every chapter will be graphic. I like to concentrate on plot and relationships…sorry, but battle scenes are not my forte.

This, the first story, will involve BulmaxVegeta, though I'm sure other characters will be woven in there as well. I have read a lot of BxV's, but as much as I liked some of them, they all left me wanting for something. Some progressed too fast and sometimes the plot jumped so I decided to write my own to satisfy myself.

Oh, and a warning, my fanfics are generally not short ones. I try to update often (meaning about once a week)…I hate it when you get into a story that was written in 2003 and find that it was never finished – and you know they are no longer writing it due to the time that has lapsed. I have always finished the stories I have started.

So…enjoy! Feedback is welcome. I love praise, appreciate constructive criticism (especially if I have written a conflict in character or time), flames de-motivate me and are not addressed, and probably the worst thing you could ever do is tell me how I *should have* written something (it's my story, and if you don't like the plot, go write your own!)

Cheers,

aangfan

Sadly, I do not own Dragonball Z, GT, or whatever.

_Italics_ = thoughts or emphasis

This particular story begins in Age 764.

All of the Z fighters have been resurrected and the Namekians have left to start a new life on New Namek. Future Trunks has defeated Frieza and King Cold. Goku has returned to Earth from Yardrat. The Z fighters know that in three years, the androids will appear and that they need to begin to prepare as soon as possible.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma stood in the large grassy area of Capsule Corp where the Namekians had once lived.

"Did you call the housing people?" asked Mrs. Brief to her daughter.

"Yeah, Mom, they should be stopping by late this afternoon," Bulma replied. "It'll be nice to finally get these things out of here."

The Namekians had spent a full eight months at Capsule Corporation after their home planet of Namek had been destroyed. If there had only been a few Namekians, the Brief family could have easily put them up themselves; but as it was, there were just way too many for the Brief home, as magnificent and large as it was. As a result, Bulma had called to make arrangements to have temporary housing units put on the property to properly house them.

"I agree with you, honey. They've been gone a few months now and…," said Mrs. Brief.

Bulma interrupted, "I _know_, Mom. I've just been too busy to take care of it until now. Stop nagging me."

"Hmh," let out Mrs. Brief as she turned and walked away from her overly curt daughter, knowing not to push any further.

Bulma checked the last few details on and in the housing units to make absolutely sure they were ready for the housing company to tow them away.

She looked over her shoulder and noticed a lone figure walk from the front door of the residence to the gravity room that stood around the corner from where she now was. She sighed and her mind began to wander as she continued to stand there watching.

Bulma was still wary of her houseguest. Normally, she had very accurate first impressions of people. But Vegeta was still an enigma to her.

When she had first encountered him on Namek, she instantly disliked him. He was crass, rude, demanding, and just plain mean – a completely horrible person to be around. All the Z fighters and their friends agreed. But there was just something about him that she couldn't place – something that made her feel a little bit sorry for him. He was completely alone and she truly felt sad about the whole situation, not that she really knew what she could do for him, if anything. Her heart ached and she wasn't sure why.

After the bunch of them were wished from Namek to Earth, Vegeta stood off to the side and brooded. Bulma offered the Namekians a place to stay until they could find a new home and Vegeta just sort of ended up tagging along. The first few months – until the Namekian dragonballs were ready – were a lot of fun. There were a ton of people at Capsule Corp and the atmosphere was jovial and festive most of the time. Vegeta, she noted, just kind of coasted and didn't say much of anything to anyone. He clearly wasn't comfortable with the new situation. The problem was – he had nowhere else to go.

Vegeta stole a Capsule Corp spaceship to find Goku once he found out from Shenlong that he was still alive. He cruised a small portion of the universe looking for the one-and-only known Super Saiyan. He failed. After spending months in space and not finding Goku, he was forced to return to Earth due to a lack of fuel.

The day of Vegeta's return had been so memorable to everyone. It was the day that Frieza and his father, King Cold, landed on the Earth looking for Goku. It was also the same day that the second, lavender-haired Super Saiyan appeared and that Goku returned. Bulma had never seen Vegeta more upset than he was on that day. Not only was Goku more powerful than he was, but so was this mystery teenager. Who was he anyway?

All of the Z fighters agreed to train over the next three years to prepare for the arrival of the androids the younger Super Saiyan had told them about. Vegeta insisted on the gravity room being built that very day when they returned to Capsule Corp. That was the day that Bulma marked a change in her guest – all he did was train from that point forward. At least she saw him now and again before that day, but now, she was lucky if she even caught a glimpse of him.

Bulma snapped out of her daydream and she noted that Vegeta had rounded the corner and left her sight. Within two minutes, she heard the steady hum of the gravity room being powered on. sigh_ Poor Vegeta._

Just then, someone came up behind the blue-haired beauty and hugged her.

"Yamcha!" she cried out. "You nearly scared me half to death!"

"Well, if you weren't so distracted by Vegeta, you would have heard me coming!" he said happily.

"I know. I just feel a little sorry for him," replied Bulma.

"Don't you _ever_ feel sorry for him," answered Yamcha showing no pity whatsoever. "The guy's a stuck-up jerk and he deserves what he gets."

"I just can't believe that's all there is to him," she replied.

"Bulma, what do you even know about him? He's a killer – plain and simple. And he's never been nice to you…_ever_," said Yamcha.

"If he is such a killer, why hasn't he killed us then?" asked Bulma.

"_Shhh_, don't give him any ideas," said Yamcha. "Besides, he _did_ kill me if you recall."

"Oh, right," was all Bulma could muster.

Yamcha then turned Bulma around to face him and gave her a peck on the lips. They then started walking hand-in-hand back towards the front door of the residence.

"Can I make you some lunch?" asked Bulma.

"Absolutely," answered Yamcha.

In her head, Bulma continued to mentally obsess over the Saiyan currently in her gravity room.


	2. Chapter 2

Life was pretty status quo for the next few months. Vegeta trained and was rarely seen by anyone. He hardly spoke and kept mostly to himself. The gravity room (surprisingly) was holding up pretty well to his daily beatings. Dr. Brief and Bulma continued to work for Capsule Corp. Both of them were workaholics and their hours were long, but varied. They both probably put in 80+ hours a week, though they would always take intermittent breaks during the day to go and do what they wanted. Their hours were never predictable. Mrs. Brief simply ran the household. Her biggest challenge was ensuring that the kitchen was always adequately stocked to meet Vegeta's appetite. She knew that if the food inventory dwindled, that their Saiyan friend would go off the deep end.

At times, Vegeta would sit down at the kitchen table with the Brief family. Usually, he was too busy scarfing down his meal to look at or talk to anyone else in the room. He definitely preferred to eat alone and away from the possibility of having to make small talk. The Brief family did try a couple of times to talk to their guest, but learned pretty quickly that Vegeta was the way he was and not to try to force anything. He didn't seem interested in changing who he was or getting to know the family who was hosting him.

Bulma and Yamcha continued to see each other. They had been teenage sweethearts and had dated intermittently ever since. Ever since the day when Goku returned, Yamcha had been especially attentive to Bulma. Perhaps it was the idea that was planted by Goku that the two should finally settle down and start a family. Yamcha seemed to be leaning in that direction, but as much as Bulma enjoyed dating Yamcha, she still hesitated in thinking he was "the one" for her. She just didn't feel that she could make that next step and she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because of Yamcha's reputation as a playboy – a reputation that he probably didn't deserve. Women did throw themselves at him – he was good-looking and popular, after all – but she was not aware of any time when he took them up on their offers. As far as she knew, he had been totally faithful. In truth, he just wasn't very exciting to her. Bulma never saw herself to be the kind of woman who would settle down, have kids, and turn into a housewife, which is ultimately what she thought he wanted.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The first change to the status quo happened on a blustery autumn afternoon. Bulma was in her personal lab in the basement of one of the Capsule Corp buildings on their property. She was working on a new fuel that could be used to make space travel more efficient. The fuel seemed perfect; the problem was its compatibility with the existing drive engines. Capsule Corp had already built more than a handful of space vessels and right now, unless she figured something out, all of their engines would need to be changed out in order to take advantage of the fuel. That would be just too expensive. She had to figure out a way to make it work.

Just then, the door to her lab slammed open.

"_Woman!_" Vegeta shouted.

Bulma had been so startled that she dropped both the vial of fuel and the graduated cylinder she had in her hands. They both smashed to the ground with a clatter as the glass broke – and unfortunately for Bulma, the fuel also spilled down the front of her pants as well.

As soon as it sunk in what happened, Bulma could have sworn steam had to be coming from her ears.

She turned and shouted at him, "Vegeta! Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"Woman! The gravity room is broken! You need to get out there and fix it…_NOW_!" he shouted.

Bulma gave herself a few seconds. She took a deep breath and gathered herself. "Vegeta, I will be glad to fix the gravity room for you. However, believe it or not, I do have other things to do at the moment."

"I need it _NOW_! I need to train!" he shouted.

"I will meet you there tonight at seven," replied Bulma, calmly, walking over to where Vegeta stood in the doorway.

Vegeta opened his mouth to shout again, but was interrupted by Bulma sticking her forefinger in the air straight in front of his face. "Seven," she said. "I need to change, thanks to you. And I've got a meeting to go to afterwards." Then she shouted at him, "Take it or leave it!"

She walked past him hurriedly just waiting for him to say another word to her. He watched her walk past him but said nothing.

Bulma walked straight for the residence and into her private quarters masked behind an ordinary white bedroom door. Just as their family was not "normal", neither was the family residence. Bulma's bedroom was luxurious and came complete with its own gigantic closet, bathroom, and sitting area. She had everything she could need in her bedroom with the exception of a kitchen and the food it provided. Her parents enjoyed a similar set-up at the other end of hallway on the 2nd floor. All the guests, including Vegeta, were placed in their own smaller, yet still very comfortable bedrooms on the 3rd floor.

She slammed the door when she entered and heard her mother walk by and say, "Is everything alright, dear?"

"Fine, mother," retorted Bulma. "I just have to change my pants." _ Darn it, now I'm going to be late for my meeting._

She took out another pair of gray dress pants and put them on. All the while she was thinking to herself in a garbled mess, _What the hell? What a jerk! What's his problem? Does he think the world revolves around him? Huh, if he thinks I'm going to jump every time he wants me to, he's got another thing coming!_ Her thoughts were a mishmash of inner incoherency.

As she walked back to the lab building, she started to calm down and think straight.

_Why would he treat me that way? And after all we've done for him. Maybe Yamcha is right….maybe he is simply a jerk. No…there has to be more to him than that. To think, I have been feeling sorry for him for months. Does he even deserve it? Maybe….maybe not. I'm done assuming…I need to figure out what makes him tick…especially if he is going to keep staying here. I need a plan. Hmmm…ok, I said seven. Tonight at seven I will see him in the gravity room. _

It would seem that due to the lack of real contact and her own imagination running away with her, Bulma had obviously started thinking that Vegeta was less acerbic than he truly was.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma finished her Capsule Corp work for the day at 6:45pm and walked over to the gravity room as she promised. She opened the outside door and entered the inner corridor and went directly through the inner door into the gravity room itself_. I wonder where he is?_ She looked down at her watch. _Oh…not quite 7pm yet. _The controls were located on a center console_. _She brought up the alarm history of the equipment and the problem was listed there clear as day. _Grrrrrr!_

She heard a noise behind her and spun around to face Vegeta opening the inner door to join her.

"Listen, dummy, when you are given instructions, you have to follow them," she sternly said to him.

"Baka, what are you yammering about?" Vegeta replied.

"It says right here that you went to 310 times gravity," said Bulma.

"Yeah, what of it?" he replied.

"This gravity room only goes to 300 times gravity. You pushed it too far," she replied. "That's why it shut down on you. Keep it under 300 and you'll be fine," she said.

Bulma turned to walk away and as she passed Vegeta, he stuck out his right arm and grabbed her by her right wrist.

"Onna, where do you think you're going?" Vegeta asked.

"I already told you, don't go above 300 and you'll be fine," repeated Bulma.

"I've already mastered 300," replied Vegeta. "I require more."

"Tough," said Bulma, who then tried to pull her arm away from the Saiyan prince. "Do you mind?"

He let her arm go and she continued walking. He sneered at her, though she never saw it.

OlOlOlOlOlO

_BLAM!_

Bulma opened her eyes. _What the hell was that?_

She turned onto her side to look at the digital clock sitting by her bedside. _4:15am? You've got to be kidding me. _

She turned back over hoping to go back to sleep. Her peace only lasted a few more seconds.

_BOOM!_

Once she heard that second sound, she sat straight up in bed.

_CRUNCH!_

_Damn it!_

She quickly sprung from her bed and grabbed her robe and hurried out the door and down the stairs. She opened the door to the outside.

_BOOM!_

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she asked the floating Saiyan in the yard.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm training!" he replied back, slowly lowering himself to the ground.

"In the yard?" she asked with a little hint of desperation in her voice.

"Well, since the gravity room no longer suits me. I just thought I'd get the benefit of some fresh air instead. Besides, being outside lets me maneuver a bit more; the gravity room is a bit cramped," said Vegeta.

"Fresh air?" she repeated. "Vegeta! You can't be doing this so early in the morning!"

"Why not?" he asked.

"You're going to wake everyone up," Bulma replied.

"If I'm not mistaken, I have observed that you work whenever you want to. You have no set hours. Well, the same goes for my training. If I want to train in the middle of the night, I'm going to!" he said.

"At least my work doesn't cause half the city to panic!" Bulma said. Just then she heard the sirens.

Both of their heads turned in the direction of the street in front of the Capsule Corp compound.

"Niiice, Vegeta. Thank you _so_ much," said Bulma as she took off running for the gate to the outside world.

Vegeta sat back with a smirk on his face and watched as Bulma explained to both the fire department and the police that there wasn't a problem at Capsule Corp. They still insisted on having a look around so they entered the property and scurried about looking for any signs of mischief. Vegeta simply turned his head to observe what they were doing. He didn't move an inch. Pretty soon, they were satisfied and departed.

Bulma walked up to Vegeta when it was all over. "Vegeta, I'm sorry, but you can't just do that."

"Woman, I can do anything I please," he replied.

She let her head drop so her chin hit her chest. "Ok, Vegeta. What do you want?" she asked him.

"I want the gravity room to go up to 400 times gravity," he replied with his arms crossed.

"Ok, I can get to it later today. Oh, no I can't! Damn that meeting. I'll ask my Dad to do it," she told him.

"I accept your offer," he replied. "But I want it functioning by tomorrow."

With that, he turned and walked back into the residence. Bulma could only watch him leave. _Vegeta 1, Bulma 0_.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma put in a full day at Capsule Corp and it was 9pm before she had a chance to check-in on her father's progress on the gravity room.

"Dad, how's it going?" Bulma asked her father who was lying under a portion of the gravity room with only his feet exposed to the outside world.

"Oh just fine, dear," he replied, muffled.

"How far did you get?" she asked.

"I'm installing the last component now so I obviously haven't had a chance to run through the diagnostics or the test sequence yet," Dr. Brief replied.

Bulma sighed and her shoulders sank. "I guess I can take over from here," she said.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Dr. Brief asked.

"No, Dad. I know you hate working when you are exhausted and you have a busy day tomorrow. Let me finish this up," she replied.

"Thanks, Bulma," he said. When he finished with the last component, he lifted himself off the ground and wiped his hands with a nearby rag. "I think that'll do it," he said.

"Ok, I'll head inside to run the tests," said Bulma. She gave her Dad a peck on the cheek and they went their separate ways.

Bulma spent the next 6 hours in the gravity room running the programs she needed to make sure the room was functioning properly. If anything was wrong, with this type of power being applied to achieve the gravity pull, the room could very well explode if anything was wrong. She wanted to make absolutely sure all the parameters were within specification.

With her eyes half-closed, she slowly made her way back to the residence. She entered the kitchen only to find the Saiyan prince partaking in a rather large snack. Her eyes wandered over to the clock on the microwave. _3am? Ugh! Don't you even say a word to me._

"Don't you look lovely so early in the morning?" quipped Vegeta.

She was tired and her nerves were already frazzled. "Don't start with me, Vegeta," was her reply as she continued to trudge slowly through the kitchen.

"How's my gravity room coming along?" asked Vegeta.

Bulma slowly turned to the source of her irritation. "I just finished the upgrade."

"Good," he said as he pushed himself back from the table and headed for the door. "I was hoping to get an early start."

"Aren't you going to clean this up?" she asked referring to the food and dishes he had left out.

"I'm the Prince of all Saiyans. That's low-class work," he replied and continued to walk.

Bulma's temper flared and she ran to the door and grabbed his arm and flung him around. He snarled at her.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" he flared.

"Listen here, Prince. I am not your servant and neither are my parents. You are our guest and you should count yourself lucky we have taken you in. We don't ask for much. But a little bit of gratitude and kindness isn't too much to ask, is it? You keep reminding us of your royal, high-and-mighty background. Well, let me tell you something, the best leaders I have ever known don't belittle, degrade, or otherwise crap all over their subjects. Or maybe you just aren't capable of picking up a tiny dish and running it under the water? That's it…isn't it? Your brain is too tiny!"

Bulma let it all out and let out a stress-relieving scream as she turned away from Vegeta and walked up to her bedroom to get some rest.

She got up late the next morning (understandably) and made her way back down to the kitchen to get herself some coffee. Her mother was already there.

"Thank you so much for cleaning up last night, dear," Mrs. Brief said to Bulma.

Bulma then realized that there wasn't a dirty dish to be found in the kitchen. They had been completely wiped clean. _Vegeta 1, Bulma 1_.


	3. Chapter 3

Yamcha and Bulma went out the next Friday night. Bulma took Yamcha to one of the most expensive restaurants in West City. Then they went dancing. Unfortunately, that part of the date didn't go so well because the women who were there would not leave Yamcha alone. At one point, when Bulma left him to use the restroom, she came back to find him backed up against one of the walls with no less than 10 women trying to speak to or otherwise touch him. Bulma dashed through the group of girls, grabbed him and led him out of the club.

"I'm sorry, Bulma. They won't just leave me alone. Every time I go out I think it will be the one time I actually get to enjoy myself and every time it turns into _that_," said Yamcha.

"I know, Yamcha. I'm sad about it, too. I love to go dancing," said Bulma. "I guess we'll just have to take what we get."

Bulma and Yamcha drove back to Capsule Corp and decided to settle into the living room and watch a movie. Bulma picked out a sappy romance, something that Yamcha would never have considered on his own. When she asked him about her choice, Yamcha quickly agreed – he had no intentions of spending much time actually watching the movie anyway.

Within 15 minutes of the start of the movie, the young lovers were spooning on the couch with Yamcha behind Bulma gently nipping at her neck and ears. Bulma closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention that she was getting from the handsome man behind her.

Yamcha took it a baby step further by using his hand to begin to caress her stomach and top hip. Bulma let out an audible exhale as she could feel herself slowly slipping under Yamcha's spell.

Bulma turned over and now faced her boyfriend and they began to kiss. Over time, their bodies slowly got closer together as they began to explore with their hands all the while their kissing became deeper and more frantic. Sex was nothing new to Bulma and Yamcha – and that's exactly where they were headed. Bulma guessed Yamcha would not be opposed based on the bulge that currently resided in the front of his pants. She ran her hand down between the two of them and gently touched him there. Yamcha let out a soft moan as a result.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" said a voice from behind them.

Yamcha and Bulma instinctively sat up and pulled away from each other not immediately realizing what was going on.

"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted as she suddenly figured out who it was.

"Gross. I didn't need to see two weaklings exchanging bodily fluids," said Vegeta. He closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth.

"Sorry, your majesty, but this is my house," said Bulma, immediately taking a defensive position at Vegeta's prods. "If I want to sit here on the couch with my boyfriend, then I'm going to do it!"

Yamcha didn't say a word. He had grabbed a pillow off the couch and placed it on his lap – he was obviously just a little flustered about the whole situation.

"You two are pathetic!" was Vegeta's reply to this and he turned and walked out of the room.

"I'm so embarrassed," said Yamcha to Bulma.

"Why?" asked Bulma.

"He's right. We shouldn't have been doing that here," said Yamcha.

"We weren't even doing anything!" said Bulma. "Kissing!"

"You know it would have gone further," answered Yamcha.

"Oh, so now you're taking his side?" she retorted.

"No – I, uh - I'm just saying we could have gone to your room or something," said Yamcha sheepishly. "You have a TV and a couch in there, too."

Bulma was pissed. As usual, she went off the deep end and saw Yamcha's thoughts somehow as a betrayal.

"Well, Yamcha, that's exactly where I am going….alone!" said Bulma. She turned and stomped up the stairs towards her bedroom. She entered, and slammed the door behind her.

Yamcha sat there for a minute or two trying to figure out exactly what he did that was so wrong. He was at a loss and there was nothing else to do but leave for the night. He knew from past experience that once she got this upset, he could either let her cool down or continue to fan the flames by trying to talk to her. He grabbed his jacket and began to make his way out of the residence.

Yamcha walked into the kitchen to grab a drink before he went out the back door. Vegeta happened to be in there grabbing dinner before he headed upstairs to clean up and get some sleep.

"Moron," said Vegeta to Yamcha as he leaned into the refrigerator to see what was in there to drink.

Yamcha ignored the Saiyan prince. He already didn't care for Vegeta and knew better than to be goaded into a confrontation he knew he could never win. He found a can of cola and gently opened it. He took a swig and turned to head out the door.

"Loser," said Vegeta quietly under his breath.

Yamcha turned and faced him. "What _exactly_ is your problem? You've already ruined my evening. What else do you want?"

"Oh, I thought I had salvaged your evening," said Vegeta. "Now you can do something other than cater to that baka."

"Yeah, thanks," replied Yamcha sarcastically. "I owe you one." With that, he walked out the door.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma lay on her bed with her face on her pillow. Tears leaked from her eyes though they were not the tears of sadness. When Bulma got emotionally upset – when she was pissed, angry, or extremely frustrated – she tended to cry. This particular episode lasted a full half hour. Eventually, her mind calmed down enough that she noted a slight ping in her stomach. She was hungry.

She looked in the bathroom mirror. Though she did her best to make herself look somewhat presentable, the red swollen eyes definitely gave away what she had been doing.

When she got to the kitchen, she was surprised to find Vegeta still in there just finishing his meal. He was about to get up and rinse off the plates he had used.

"It's good to see old monkeys performing their new tricks," she said to him.

Vegeta ignored the comment. He turned and looked at her and saw that she had been crying.

"What are you looking at?" she said bluntly.

He turned away from her. He was curious more than anything…nosy, to be more exact. He loved having more ammunition for his future jabs at her – but he wasn't willing to have her mistake his curiosity for actual caring. _That imbecile isn't worth tears._

Bulma sat down at the table. She leaned on her elbows and leaned her forehead into her hands. She mostly started talking to herself, but was fully aware that Vegeta would hear what she had to say as well.

"I'm so tired," she said aloud.

Vegeta once again turned to look at her.

"I work hard and I try to be strong for everyone. I'm just sick of….fighting. Sick of…. pretending." After a pause, she said softly, "Too much drama."

Vegeta was taken a bit aback. He noted that she was exposing her feelings to him, but didn't have the first clue what to do with them. Based on the games they had played with each other, that was the last thing he ever expected her to do. Normally, he'd look for a smart ass quip to say to her, but right now, while she was like this, he just didn't see the point.

She didn't really know what she expected out of Vegeta. Sure, she did want to know what made him tick. Over and over again he just came across as a jerk….a shallow jerk that was only put on this planet to annoy people and pretend that he was the center of everyone's universe. Even now, he wasn't saying anything to her. He just continued staring at her.

She sighed. Bulma opened a cupboard and grabbed a bag of something or other to eat and went out the back door.

The moon wasn't full, but it gave her a great view of the green yard that lay between the residence, the gravity room and several of the other Capsule Corp buildings. She found the nearest tree and sat down beneath it. The tree was a decent size, but not big enough that her view of the stars was blocked. The night sky always brought her peace.

Vegeta didn't know why, but he followed her outside. When he saw her figure under the tree, he followed her there and sat down beside her. He remained silent.

Bulma was a bit confused as to why Vegeta was sitting next to her, but frankly, at this point, she just didn't care.

They sat there in silence for a bit. Then Bulma said, "Why are you here?"

"I'm not sure," was his reply.

"Haven't you done enough to me tonight?" she asked. "Yamcha and I were going to have a great night together and then you came around. You could have just left the room…"

"That wouldn't have been as fun," said Vegeta.

"Am I only a game to you?" asked Bulma. "Someone who you can insult and call names?"

He didn't answer.

"I honestly felt sorry for you….for _months_, I felt sorry for you. You seemed so lonely and isolated. Everyone told me you were nothing more than a jerk and a killer - that you didn't care about anyone but yourself. I told them that there had to me more to you."

Vegeta looked a little surprised.

"And you know what I found? I think they were probably right," said Bulma.

Silence.

"I never asked for your pity," he finally replied.

"Why am I talking to you?" asked Bulma to herself. She got up off the ground and started walking away from the tree. "I've got to get away from here."

Vegeta continued to sit there. He found that he was feeling…a little down about what the woman had just said. It was an emotion he had felt before, though not very often. He didn't know why, but - for some inexplicable reason - he did care what happened next.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta continued he usual routine after that night. But by the fourth day, he had noted that the only two people he even had gotten a glimpse of were that annoying blonde woman and her husband. Where was the onna?

Vegeta made sure to attend the next meal with the two older Briefs to see where their blue-haired daughter was.

"Oh Vegeta!" said Mrs. Brief. "It's so nice that you came to dinner!"

"Hmh," was his reply.

After a few minutes of near-silence, Vegeta finally spoke. "Where is your daughter?"

"Bulma? She decided to take an extended vacation," said Dr. Brief.

_Vacation? _

"Where is she?" asked Vegeta for the second time.

"Oh, do you miss her dear?" Mrs. Brief asked in return.

Vegeta turned a little pink. "I just need to know in case something happens to the gravity room," was his excuse.

"I see," said Dr. Brief. "Well, if you need anything in that department, just come find me. I don't think Bulma will be available for a little while."

Vegeta still waited for an answer from his last question. After a few more seconds of silence, Mrs. Brief noted that he was still waiting.

"Oh, ummm, I think she went to one of the South Islands for a while," said Mrs. Brief.

"Hmh," repeated Vegeta again before he continued eating.

OlOlOlOlOlOlO

A few more weeks went by and Bulma did not return. Although his daily life did not change, he did think of her now and again. He had become attached to her in a way – no, not romantically – but such that he did enjoy having her around. She was feisty and blunt and loud. Life was indeed a bit more boring without her around.

He thought back to that night under the tree and how…broken she seemed. Like something had finally cracked within her. Then he hoped that it wasn't him who had been the final straw.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta came in from the gravity room one evening to find a full display of food waiting for him on the kitchen table. He surveyed the meal and noted that the timing couldn't have been better for his empty stomach. Unfortunately for him, he really didn't feel like being on the receiving end of an attempted dinner conversation that evening.

As he stood there contemplating whether to eat fresh, hot food with the two annoying elder Briefs, or hope that the reheated leftovers would be equally to his satisfaction, Bulma walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Vegeta," she greeted him warmly as if no time at all had gone by.

He was surprised a bit by her sudden presence. "Onna," was all he could muster, nodding at her.

"Will you be joining me for dinner?" she asked him.

Vegeta nodded even before he really thought through it.

"Go get yourself cleaned up then," she said.

Vegeta went to his room to take a quick shower. When he returned to the kitchen, Bulma was sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of her.

"Where are your parents?" asked Vegeta.

"They went out tonight," she answered. "All this is for you."

"I see you've finally learned how to treat a prince," he quipped.

Bulma smiled at the banter. "Believe it or not, Vegeta, I've missed our…conversations."

Vegeta started to chow down on the food that was in front of him. He didn't want to say anything for fear that the woman would get the wrong impression – that he had any interest in her at all. But, in truth, he did have an interest – what happened and why did she leave? Ultimately, he kept up the front and didn't say a word during the entire meal.

Bulma cleaned up the meal and life moved on as if nothing had happened.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The following evening, Yamcha came over for dinner. He and Bulma retired to her personal sitting room to watch a movie after the meal was done. Bulma had learned her lesson the last time and wasn't about to repeat it.

Vegeta could feel Yamcha's ki within the house and he wasn't very pleased he was here. He could sense what was taking place behind the closed bedroom door.

_Why does this bother me?_

Vegeta flopped down on his comfy bed. For some reason, his mind was spinning with questions and ideas and it didn't want to slow down to allow him to get sleep.

His first thoughts concerned the couple located one floor below him. _Why do I care?_ Was he just being protective over the woman who had become the closest thing to a friend that he currently had? He had actually missed her presence when she was gone. Life had actually gotten a bit more boring for him. Perhaps it was just that he had zero respect for the man, weakling that he was. Vegeta was a bit surprised that the pair had made it through the last 6 weeks. Not only had they parted on bad terms, but then Bulma took off and left him and her entire life behind for all those weeks.

His thoughts then continued down the path of the night that he walked in on them on the living room couch. After all the events that night, she left. Where did she go and what did she do? Has anything changed? She cooked me that huge meal yesterday knowing her parents would not be there. What was that all about?

Vegeta felt like he had lost some control – over Bulma, over himself, over life. He didn't know everything that was going on with the woman and as a result, didn't know where he stood here, the place he currently called home. That left him feeling a slight bit uncomfortable. He wanted answers, yet he was annoyed at himself for daring to care that he didn't have the answers. He wanted to be left alone, but at the same time, needed to know what was going on.

_Click!_ A door somewhere opened. Vegeta looked at the clock. _I must have drifted off to sleep._

His Saiyan ears picked up on what was going on. He could hear Yamcha and Bulma whispering and walking away from her bedroom. _She must be showing him out._

Vegeta turned over determined to get some sleep. He was stressed by his thoughts and didn't want to deal with them anymore.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Vegeta," he heard in his dream.

"Vegeta!" he heard a little louder. Then he felt someone touch his arm.

With a start, he sat up straight ready to strike at a moment's notice. _What? Where?_

"It's ok, Vegeta. It's just me," said Bulma, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Baka! Who invited you to come into my room?" Vegeta said harshly as he realized what was going on.

"Are you ok?" she asked, completely ignoring his question.

"Of course, I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?" Vegeta responded.

Bulma got up off the bed and made her way towards the door. "That must have been some nightmare. I heard you all the way from my bedroom. I just wanted to make sure you were ok." Then she turned and left.

Vegeta took a deep breath. He was sweaty and hot. Then he remembered what he had been dreaming about.


	4. Chapter 4

At breakfast the next morning, things were relatively quiet. Nothing was said about nighttime visitors, weird noises, or nightmares.

Bulma continued to be nice to the Saiyan by cooking him an enormous breakfast and serving it to him at the kitchen table. Vegeta's mind started churning again and he didn't want to repeat the restlessness of last night. He knew that keeping his focus while training was going to be difficult at best the way things were. That's when he decided that, as distasteful as it was to him, he was going to get the answers he wanted.

"Woman, what's the schedule today?" Vegeta asked Bulma.

"I assume you are training as usual," she replied.

"No, I meant – what are you doing today?" he corrected.

"I only have to work," she replied.

"I need you to come with me for the morning. I – uh – require your assistance with something," he said.

Bulma was a bit taken aback. Vegeta of all people was asking her for help. She knew this must be serious if he could crack his pride even this little bit and ask her to do something for him. She walked over to the counter where her calendar was opened to today's date.

After perusing her datebook, she said, "Ok, Vegeta, I'm yours until lunchtime."

OlOlOlOlOlO

They met in the kitchen after breakfast. Vegeta led Bulma outside into the yard.

"Vegeta, where are we go-GOING?" Bulma asked. She expected them to go somewhere – by car, by foot – but Vegeta had other things in mind. He lifted her up in his arms and started to fly away from Capsule Corp.

"I want to eliminate distractions," was his reply once they were up in the air.

The flight to a spot outside of the city was silent. Vegeta knew exactly where he wanted to take her – it was a mountainous region with a river running through it with tall, green trees all around. Vegeta stopped in front of a waterfall and sat Bulma on a rock that was protruding from the land about half way up.

"Oh Vegeta, this is beautiful!" Bulma remarked. "When did you – "

"I come here to think," was his reply. "Sometimes the silence of my room is enough. If it isn't, I fly here instead."

Bulma didn't reply at first. She just took in the beauty of her surroundings.

"Vegeta, why did you bring me here?" asked Bulma.

"Woman, I need answers," he replied.

"You could have given answers back at Capsule Corp," she replied.

"I already told you – I wanted to eliminate distractions. Besides - ," he started. "I thought you'd like it here."

"Wow, Vegeta. Thinking of someone besides yourself. I didn't think I'd ever see the day," Bulma observed aloud.

"If you ever tell anyone about the next few hours, I will kill you," he said.

"You sound serious," she said sarcastically.

Vegeta let out an exhale. "Why did you leave?" he asked.

Bulma wasn't expecting that sort of blunt question from Vegeta. Her mind started to race a bit. _Why does he care? Do I want to tell him? It's not his business! Who the hell does he think he is?_

Her silence was deafening to him and he restated the question. "Woman, answer me. What did you do in the South Islands?"

"Why do you want to know Vegeta?" Bulma asked, getting serious.

"I just – I just need to know," he replied. Vegeta could tell the wheels in her head were turning. She didn't know whether to answer him or not.

"Vegeta, you've continually treated me like garbage. As much as I tolerate having you around, I really don't know why I should tell you anything. We aren't anything to each other. In truth, you are nothing more than a houseguest, someone I see every once in a while at the kitchen table," she said.

_And it comes to this… _"I," he started, then paused. "I missed your presence," he said. "And I was worried. You are the closest thing I have to a friend on this planet."

Bulma gasped. She knew how much effort a confession like that took. _He missed me?_

"So onna, answer my question," Vegeta repeated.

Bulma was definitely touched by what he had said to her.

"Vegeta, I didn't know," she said to him. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"I'm not going to ask you again – answer the question!" he said more forcefully.

"Let me start at the beginning then so it makes sense to you," Bulma said. "You already know some of it, but I'll fill in the pieces. You came to Capsule Corp and, having met you on Namek, I knew you were kind of a jerk. Everyone else told me the same thing and asked me why I bothered to let you stay with us. But I swore there was something more to you. Then, after a few months and your horrible behavior, I was starting to think they were right. The final straw was that night with Yamcha, the night you found us on the couch. You were so mean that night...and even Yamcha wasn't even on my side. I was working such long hours and I was doubting my relationship with Yamcha and all the crap you had been putting me though. I just wanted someone to be on my side. That's when I realized that there was no one….that's when I decided I needed to go find myself."

"Find yourself? What the hell does that mean?" Vegeta asked.

"Oh, you know. I needed to figure some things out for myself. I wasn't happy and I needed to pull myself back up from the pit I had dug myself into," Bulma said.

"Go on," prompted Vegeta.

"And – that's it," she said.

"But you came back. Nothing changed," observed Vegeta.

"I changed," said Bulma.

"I didn't notice anything. You're still a skinny, weak earthling….," said Vegeta.

"Not outside, dummy. I changed on the inside," she explained. "Vegeta, I had to figure out what I wanted in life and how I where I was going in the future."

Vegeta still had sort of a blank look in his face. He really wasn't following Bulma's explanation very well. Saiyans were traditionally a lot more external and blunt about things. A mission of self-discovery was a bit too touchy-feely for Vegeta to fully comprehend.

Bulma saw his confusion and tried to help him understand.

"Listen, Vegeta," she started. "I came up with a few conclusions and wrote them down. I'm willing to share them with you if you want to hear them." With that, she pulled a folded piece of paper out of her back pocket. "I know I can get over-emotional. I promised myself that, at least for now, I would keep this with me to remind me what I decided."

Vegeta still had the same blank scowl that he usually did. Bulma took that as a sign to keep talking. She glanced down at the paper.

"First of all, work. I decided that I am going to enjoy myself more and not work so much. I never get to see my friends and my friends mean so much to me….," said Bulma. "There is definitely more to life than working."

Vegeta's face didn't change.

"Secondly, about you..," Bulma started.

Vegeta showed just the slightest twinge of interest at that.

"I know you don't talk much about your history, but I think I have a pretty good idea why you are the way you are. I think I expected too much out of you. And I started to listen to what others were saying. I was trying to read things that weren't there and getting wrapped up in who you really were. The truth of the matter is, Vegeta, you may be a curmudgeon, but I accept you for who you are."

"Hmh," he snorted.

Then she threw in, "I kind of missed having you around, too."

His eyes went slightly wider at that last statement.

She smiled, having started to figure out how to read his body language as slight as it was. _If it wasn't for his body language, he would hardly communicate at all._

"Finally, I've made some decisions about Yamcha. I know you don't really care for him, so you'll be happy to hear that he's not the one for me," Bulma told him.

"But last night - ," said Vegeta.

"I never said I didn't have needs," she interrupted. "It's just more of a….friends with benefits type of thing for me."

Again, Vegeta looked a little confused. "Is that an earth custom?" he asked.

Bulma giggled upon hearing his question. "Not really," she replied. "And not everyone on earth believes in it either, just so you know. It means that we share each other physically, but that there are no expectations of any sort of attachment beyond friendship. As soon as I think I've found my Mr. Right, things will change again," she said. "But for now, I'm fine with things the way they are."

_Hmmm. Interesting arrangement. Though what kind of warrior needs intimacy. It's just a distraction from training. _

Bulma could tell Vegeta was thinking, though as usual, he wasn't saying anything.

"That's it, Vegeta. My life in a nutshell," she said.

He walked towards her and she could tell he was going to take her in his arms again. She held up her hand before he reached her. "Do you mind if we stay here just a little bit longer? It is beautiful here."

"Very well," he replied.

He lasted about a half hour more before he demanded they leave to go back to the city. After all, he had training to do. He had had enough of this emotional banter. He had gotten the answers he wanted and was, for the time being, satisfied.

That night, Vegeta slept soundly for the first time in several nights. He felt like he was back in control with the new knowledge he had acquired from the woman. He knew exactly where he stood as far as she was concerned. Little did he know how fast things can change…

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma and Vegeta went back to their own quipping ways after their heart-to-heart talk. Neither one of them brought up the excursion again, though both seemed more at ease with each other after that day.

True to her goal, Bulma continued with her changes and kept a good attitude with respect to life after she returned from the South Islands. Although she and Vegeta still traded barbs, nothing was taken personally, no one got upset and life moved on.

Vegeta was sub-consciously happier with his life. He had now been at Capsule Corp off and on for a couple of years – since the return from Namek. It had taken that long for him to finally settle in and accept the fact that this was going to be his life for the time being. His primary goal had not changed – to beat Karkarrot in battle and in power. He continued to work day in and day out on this primary goal. The rest of his time he defined as necessary and unnecessary distractions – meals, sleep, and interaction with the woman, her family, and anyone else who dared come around.

Bulma continued to see Yamcha. Yamcha would always be one of Bulma best friends no matter what their physical relationship status was. Vegeta sensed him around at all hours of the day. Sometimes he would spend the night and other times he would not. He usually hung out at Capsule Corp during the day, which Vegeta personally preferred because then he was not in his way. He didn't have to see, hear or smell him while he was in the gravity room – he just sensed that he was around and went on with his training.

Vegeta had slowly gotten used to the Brief family and usually sat down with them for breakfast and dinner each day. Lately, it wasn't usual that he ate alone; however, that's exactly what he was doing on one particular night. When he finished he sought out the closest human he could find to make sure everything was still copasetic. It didn't take him long to find Bulma on the living room couch watching TV.

"Woman, why didn't you eat dinner?" he said to her.

She didn't answer.

He walked around the end of the couch so he could at least see something of her besides the back of her head.

"Woman!" he said more demandingly. "Answer me!"

"I'm not the mood for your crap right now Vegeta," Bulma answered.

"Seems to me you've been 'in the mood' a lot recently," he shot back.

"Vegeta, enough!" she yelled.

"My, my, aren't we crabby tonight?" he kidded.

"I just had a fight with Yamcha," she answered.

"Now what?" he asked. He sighed, now realizing what he had gotten himself into.

"We actually got into it – about you," Bulma replied.

"Me? You two are nothing to me and I would assume the opposite is true as well," Vegeta replied.

"Yamcha still doesn't like you and I think he just worries about me…," she started.

"He worries? I could really give a flying leap about what he thinks about - ," started Vegeta.

"You have to admit your past track record isn't the best," said Bulma. "And you killed him once before. He doesn't trust you."

"And what about you?" he asked. "What do _you_ think? Do you trust me?"

Bulma looked down at her hands which were sitting in her lap, trying to avoid eye contact. "Vegeta - ," she started. "I'm not really sure what you are to me. You've been around a while now and although you are gruff and your manners aren't the best, you certainly haven't hurt any of us. I don't think you would, either….now, anyway. I actually like you Vegeta. I don't think many people understand you, but I think I have you pegged. I've learned that if you look closely, you can see your true self behind the cold exterior."

"Hmh," was the only think out of Vegeta's mouth after Bulma's little speech.

"I know what you need and I know what you want. Goku is my friend, but he can take care of himself. You want to train so that you can beat him. I say, more power to you if you can. So I'm not going to let Yamcha ruin that for you," said Bulma.

"Wait, what?" said Vegeta. "Where did that come from?"

"That's why we were arguing. He was fooling around in the gravity room while you weren't in there," said Bulma. "I thought for sure that you could tell."

"I thought I smelled something off in there earlier," noted Vegeta more to himself than anyone. "I'm going to kill that baka!"

"Vegeta, knock it off. You aren't going to kill anyone," said Bulma. "I have your back. The room was built for you and no one else. I put a new lock on it so no one without the code can enter. You won't have to worry about him messing around in your gravity room anymore. Besides, I don't think he's going to be around much anyway."

"What? Why not?" asked Vegeta.

"He wanted me to stay away from you. I don't see you much now because of all your training, but he _really_ wanted me to stay away from you. I said 'no' and he got angry," said Bulma. "Knowing him, he'll make himself scarce for at least the next month or so."

"So much for your little arrangement then," said Vegeta. "Poor Yamcha," he said sarcastically.

_More like 'poor me'_, thought Bulma.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N): You will recognize several clips taken from DBZ woven into my story here. I know you will recognize them and I do not take credit for them in the least. I am trying to make my story as canon as possible, thus am framing the story so you know where we are in the overall story line. Enjoy!

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma nailed it. It took Yamcha about a month – three and a half weeks to be exact – to show his face at Capsule Corp after their fight about Vegeta.

Vegeta, in the gravity room as usual, noted Yamcha's presence and he stopped his training for just a few seconds to think about what this meant. _He's back_, he noted. _I wonder how the woman is going to feel about this._

"I'm sorry, Bulma," said Yamcha. "I shouldn't have tried to control you like that. He does live here, after all."

"You got that right, Yamcha," said Bulma. "Sounds like you've been thinking about this for a little while."

"I have. I didn't want to lose you as a friend over him. He's not worth it," said Yamcha.

"I wish you could see Vegeta like I do. I know you only see him from that one day when he attacked the earth, but he has definitely changed. He's no threat now," she said. "The way he talks just makes him seem that way."

Yamcha let out a slight grunt of disapproval and disbelief.

"He has actually been nice at times…in his own way," said Bulma.

_KA-BOOM!_

"What on earth was that?" shouted Yamcha.

Yamcha and Bulma both instinctively ran towards the explosion. When they ran outside, they instantly knew what had happened. The gravity room didn't exist anymore. It was reduced to a pile of twisted metal and concrete – and somewhere in the debris was the Saiyan prince.

"Vegeta!" Bulma yelled as they neared the rubble.

She knelt down next to the wreck.

"I knew this would happen," said Yamcha. "He's been trying to do the impossible. I saw it when I was in there - "

"Where is he?" asked Bulma, showing definite signs of desperation. "Vegeta?" she said to herself and she started to piece through the smaller pieces of rock that apparently covered him up.

Just then, an arm shot out of the rubble. Bulma screamed and jumped back from the scare. She knocked into Yamcha and they both fell backwards. Vegeta emerged and stood.

"You…ok?" asked Bulma.

"Of course I am," said Vegeta.

Bulma exhaled, satisfied that the Saiyan was going to be alright. Then her demeanor went from concerned to pissed in one second flat.

"How dare you, you dweeb! You almost wrecked my house!" she shouted at Vegeta. "What are you trying to prove?"

Vegeta did his best to stay standing as he laughed – but he ended up right back down on the ground again due to his injuries.

"What? Oh no, you're hurt!" Bulma ran to him and propped him up.

"No, I don't need help," said Vegeta. "I've got training to do."

"You've got to stop training for a while," she insisted. "I mean, look at you, you're a complete wreck!"

"But I feel fine. I'm a Saiyan. I can take a little pain. It means nothing to me," he replied. "And I have to get stronger than Kakarrot!"

"Ok sure, we all know you're a tough guy, but you need to rest now," she said trying to comfort him.

"I take orders from no one!" Vegeta shouted. He tried to get up one last time before falling over sideways for good.

Yamcha could only look on.

Dr. and Mrs. Brief arrived within a few seconds of Vegeta passing out.

Upon seeing the injured Vegeta, Dr. Brief said, "He definitely needs some medical attention. We need to get him into the medical ward." He ran back to get a few others to help get him move the Saiyan prince.

Capsule Corp had a fully functional medical ward for a couple of reasons. First of all, the company developed the latest technology for the medical industry and they needed somewhere to test it out. Secondly, because they were so ahead of their time in their equipment development – and because much of the prototype building and testing took place on the Capsule Corp grounds – the Brief family decided it would be best to have facilities on-hand to treat any injured employees who might need medical attention. Now Vegeta was one of the injured who would be spending some time there over the next few days.

OlOlOlOlOlO

"Is she still there?" asked Mrs. Brief to her husband at breakfast the next morning.

"Yes, dear, I'm afraid so," Dr. Brief answered.

"I'm worried about her. The doctors said he could be out for days. She still needs to eat and sleep y'know," said Mrs. Brief.

"There's nothing you can do about it," said Dr. Brief. "She's an adult now and a very stubborn one at that."

Mrs. Brief sighed. "I've never seen her quite like this. I wonder if she has something going on with Vegeta."

"I doubt it," said Dr. Brief. "I was always under the impression they hated one another."

"Hate is a strong word," said Mrs. Brief.

"Ok, they dislike each other - a lot," said Dr. Brief.

"So what are you going to do today, dear?" asked Mrs. Brief.

"They are coming to clear away the gravity room debris this morning. I want to see if I can find any clues as to the cause of the explosion. And, I guess, I need to get started building a new one, too," said Dr. Brief.

"Are you sure, hon?" asked Mrs. Brief.

"You know Vegeta. As soon as he is better he'll want to start training again," said Dr. Brief. "If I don't start now, he'll only get more upset when he finds out we waited."

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was late afternoon when Dr. Brief went to the medical ward to visit his daughter. He walked into Vegeta's room and found Bulma still sitting by his side. She was sitting at a desk reading a book while Vegeta remained motionless with his eyes closed.

"Good evening, dear. Any change?" Dr. Brief asked his daughter.

"I'm afraid not, Dad," she replied.

"I'm sure he'll be just fine. He's one tough cookie," Dr. Brief said.

"Did you need something, Dad, or are you just checking up on us?" asked Bulma.

"As a matter of fact, I did come here to tell you something," said Dr. Brief. "The old gravity room is now at the junkyard. But while they were taking it away, I found this." He held up a small black box.

"That's the real-time history of the gravity room!" Bulma said as she perked up. "I thought for sure it would have been dust after that explosion."

"Nope, it survived just fine. It's probably that new alloy casing we developed two years ago," said Dr. Brief.

"Did you access what happened yet?" asked Bulma.

"Yes, but you aren't going to like it," he replied.

"I already have my theories," said Bulma. "It was his fault – again – wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," said Dr. Brief. "Tried to go to 450 times gravity on his own."

"As smart as he is, sometimes I think he has rocks for brains. He should have known better. I even told him that at this power requirement, any mistakes could lead to an explosion," said Bulma. "I wonder why he did it."

"My dear, I think we need a better overall system to handle Vegeta here," said Dr. Brief.

"I agree. Have you started working on the new design yet?" asked Bulma.

"You know me so well. I'm starting tomorrow," said Dr. Brief. "But I already have a plan."

"I'll be there," she replied.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta was running. Towards what, he didn't know. At first, it looked like lightning surrounded him. Then the lightning dissipated and clouds appeared. Then it was a strange vine-like monster surrounding him and casting a net around him. But he kept running as fast as he could.

Kakarrot appeared and smirked at the Saiyan prince. Vegeta kept running and finally caught up to the third class warrior. But as soon as he reached him, Kakarrot disappeared and everything went black.

Vegeta sensed someone behind him. When he turned around, he saw the lavender-haired teenager who had beaten Frieza staring at him. Vegeta lept towards the teen and tried to punch him, but he also then disappeared into the blackness.

Out of nowhere, both Kakarrot and the boy appeared in front him, almost on top of him. They both went Super Saiyan at the same time. Vegeta powered up to the highest level he could go, but was still greatly overshadowed by the power level of the two in front of him. To rub it in, both the super Saiyans powered up to their max in front of Vegeta. Vegeta went crazy and started yelling at them. He could not believe there was not one, but two, who were stronger than him – and here they were flaunting it in front of him.

Vegeta fell back from yet another power spike by the duo. He caught himself and launched himself towards them, but they backed away so fast that even he could not keep up with them. It was almost as if it was their power could never be his.

He couldn't believe that he, a Saiyan Prince, was not the strongest. He fell back in disgust. His thoughts turned to his father who once told him that someday he would be the strongest in the universe. He began to daydream about a childhood event back on Planet Vegeta that he barely remembered. He was standing by his father's side watching the weakest of the Saiyans be sent to far-off planets where they would not be threatened by their enemies. King Vegeta told his son how his bloodline was strong and that he had the potential to be among the super-elite of all Saiyans. He added that he should train hard and if he worked hard enough, some day he might become a Super Saiyan.

Vegeta took heed of what he was remembering and reassured himself that he would someday be the strongest. He _would _achieve Super Saiyan.

Suddenly, Vegeta woke up from his dream. Everything had been so vivid – it took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't real. His oxygen mask fell onto his chest as he lunged forward. He couldn't believe all that had just gone through his mind.

Soon, everything started to sink in and his head fell back onto the pillow. He continued to ponder the message from his dream.

Suddenly, a realization came to him. He sensed a presence near him. It was the woman sitting at a desk next to his bed. She had fallen asleep while reading a book. "What is she doing here?" he said aloud to himself. He thought a few seconds more. _She….must really care._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta didn't last very long in the medical ward at Capsule Corp. Bulma insisted that he stay until the doctors told him he was free to leave. However, that next morning when Bulma finally left to go help her father with the gravity room design alterations, Vegeta simply got up and walked out.

Bulma met her father in his private lab and they worked most of the day on the new design. They were both very happy to discover that what they wanted to do was actually compatible with a new rocket ship that they already had in the works. It was more than halfway built and upgrading so that it met their new safety specifications (so no more violent explosions happened) wouldn't cause any delay in its manufacture. At the rate things were going, it would be ready in two months time. Not only would it not explode, but Bulma made sure that it could withstand the power required to pull 1000G for the Saiyan prince. In the meantime, Vegeta could use one of the older models – but he would be restricted to 400G once again.

_He's going to be so happy to get this new gravity room we're building,_ she thought. _Well, as happy as Vegeta can get. _She smiled at that last thought.

She went back to the medical ward just before heading home for dinner. She discovered his bed and his room were empty.

_Idiot!_


	6. Chapter 6

As with the last chapter, there is one snippet in the following chapter that will look familiar to you. It was taken from the anime (and thus, I do not own it). I am using it as a reference/foundation for the rest of the story.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma walked all over the Capsule Corp grounds looking for the injured prince. The labs, the 400G gravity room, the residence – she looked everywhere and was not successful in finding him. _Did he just take off?_

After a few hours, Bulma finally gave up hope. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind for disobeying her when she point-blank told him to stay there until he was given the all-clear to leave. Her stomach was empty and growling – her parents had probably already eaten dinner. Even so, she headed towards the kitchen for some much-needed food. She found that only her mother was still there. Mrs. Brief was busy cleaning up the dishes from the meal that had already been served.

"Oh dear, we were wondering where you had wandered off to. We missed you at dinner," said Mrs. Brief.

"Mom, have you seen Vegeta?" Bulma asked, getting right to the point.

"Isn't he still in the medical ward?" asked Mrs. Brief.

"No, he left. Even after I told him to stay there, he left – and I haven't seen him since," answered Bulma.

"Oh my!" said Mrs. Brief as she covered her gaping mouth with her hand.

"Well, he can crawl off and die as far as I'm concerned," said Bulma. _Stubborn Saiyan._

"Now Bulma, you don't really mean that," said Mrs. Brief. "You've been getting along so well with Vegeta lately. Ever since….since your vacation, I think."

Bulma's mind started swirling - she started thinking about the list she kept in her pocket reminding her of the life changes she was going to make.

_I let him get to me again, didn't I? I'm just worried about him. _

_Wait…worried about him? Why am I so worried about him? _

_He's a grown man; he should be able to take care of himself._

_Yes, but he's my friend. And I care about all my friends. That's why. He's just a friend. _

OlOlOlOlOlO

Two days later, Yamcha was back at Capsule Corp. He and Bulma had been talking over the phone and she invited him over for lunch.

"Thanks, Bulma," said Yamcha as she placed a plate of food in front of him. "It looks delicious!"

"You're welcome," she replied.

Dr. and Mrs. Brief then entered the kitchen to have their lunch as well.

"So what's up with Vegeta?" he asked, not knowing how the Saiyan prince was faring since the explosion.

"I don't want to talk about him right now," she replied. "He was in the medical ward and the instant I left, he bolted."

"Bolted? To where?" Yamcha asked.

"I have no idea. I haven't seen him since…and it's been days now since anyone has seen him," replied Bulma.

"Oh Bulma, he's in the gravity room," interrupted Dr. Brief nonchalantly. "He ran into me this morning and I told him about the new gravity room we're building for him. He seemed less grumpy than usual and agreed to use the 400G room for the time being."

"What?" cried Bulma. "He's back?" She was practically screaming at her father.

Bulma got up and ran to her lab paying no attention to anyone who had been in the kitchen with her. She sat down in front of a small camera situated on the top of her computer screen and pressed the green 'go' button on her keyboard. A little red light started blinking on the camera. Vegeta was now doing push-ups on her computer screen.

"Stop it, Vegeta! You are in no condition to be doing this right now!" she yelled.

He didn't answer. Well, that is unless you call grunting from exertion an answer.

"I know you don't want to believe it, but you are made of flesh and blood," she added.

"Stop pestering me, woman. Leave me alone," Vegeta replied. That's when he lost his concentration and fell flat on his front side, moaning.

"You know I'm right so why don't you just keep quiet and do what I say," said Bulma.

Vegeta only moaned some more.

"Nothing to say? Well, that's good. Now go back to bed and get some rest!" Bulma thought the matter had just been settled.

"Not yet. I do have something to say," said Vegeta.

"What? Is something wrong? Or maybe you are finally going to apologize to me. If that's the case, then let's hear it!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he shouted.

She was taken aback at the force of that last answer. Her face went from confident to disbelief in one second flat. She shut off her camera and sat back in her chair. Tears were starting to well in her eyes. That's when Yamcha came into the lab.

"What was that all about?" asked Yamcha.

She didn't say anything at first. She quickly used the back of her hand to wipe away any tears that had started to fall down her cheeks.

"How much did you hear?" she asked.

"Pretty much everything," said Yamcha. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Why are you like that with him?" Yamcha asked.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, you know…," said Yamcha.

"No, I don't," she replied. "Please explain." Her voice was getting a bit more defensive in its tone.

Yamcha let out a large exhale. He knew he was treading into dangerous territory – he was about to say something out loud that Bulma probably didn't want to be called on.

"You have said that you don't particularly like him. Or that he is just a houseguest, or that you've learned to tolerate him. But I've seen how you are around him. You really care what he says to you. You try to read things into it. Or you try to control him. If I didn't know any better, I would say you are starting to really care about him."

"What? No, Yamcha. I _am_ comfortable saying he is a friend at this point. But he is a different animal to say the least. Since he arrived at Capsule Corp, I would say I understand him more than just about anyone, but he still hurts my feelings on a regular basis," said Bulma.

"If you didn't care about him, I don't think your feelings would be hurt nearly as much. Why do you care what he says to you? Or what he thinks?" asked Yamcha.

Bulma opened her mouth and raised her finger to say something even more argumentative about her recent behavior, but she stopped herself. She let out a sigh. "He can be really sweet," she finally said.

"Bulma, you will always be one of my best friends and I will always be there for you. But I can see how conflicted you are right now. I think it best if we stopped the uh, extracurricular activities for the time being," Yamcha said. "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Bulma replied. "I need to get my head screwed on straight again. I'm back to being an emotional mess. Depending on the minute of the day I'm on top of the world or wanting to go hide in my dark closet. Damn it! That vacation was supposed to straighten all this out for me. I'm right back where I was before!" She took her folded-up sheet of paper out from her jeans pocket and crumpled it up before tossing it into the trash can.

Bulma stood there dejected with her arms at her sides and her head down. Yamcha wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

OlOlOlOlOLO

After Bulma's face blipped off of the wall, Vegeta stood there for a few seconds with his hands on his hips.

_Stupid baka, like I would listen to her. I am a prince and I don't have to listen to anyone, especially not on this backwards planet! _

Unfortunately for Vegeta, there was just the smallest tinge of guilt in the farthest reaches of his mind. Somewhere in him, he wondered if he really should have taken it as far as he did. What would the repercussions of his actions be? He was getting to know the blue-haired earthling better than he did most and his gut told him that she was now sitting in her lab crying her eyes out because of what just happened.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was after sundown before Vegeta decided to call it quits for the day. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the towel that was now draped around his neck. It had not been a very good afternoon for him. His mind kept drifting back to what had happened with Bulma. When he caught himself thinking about her, he would get pissed off realizing that he was thinking about her again. It was a vicious mental circle.

_She's distracting me….again! Why is she in my head?_

He had to find a way to get rid of it. Last time he had to isolate her and get her to answer his questions for him to be satisfied. Of course, he had to swallow his pride just a bit to get it done, but it was worth the peace of mind. He wasn't looking forward to the next confrontation between the two of them – chances are he'd have to give a little bit more just to make the situation between them normal again.

Vegeta barely slept that night. He tossed and turned, grumbled aloud, sat up, took another shower (and relieved himself while in there) – anything that would get his mind calmed down and asleep. He would nod off here and there, but upon realizing he was finally falling asleep, he would come to and have to start all over again.

It was 4am when he finally gave up. He changed into his training clothes and went to the Gravity Room for some early morning work. Even so, his training was still not going well. He was ancy to say the least. _I have to get this figured out today. It's driving me crazy!_

Vegeta made sure to note when it was time for breakfast. He stopped his training and although, sweaty and had quite a pungent odor to him, he made his way to the kitchen to catch the woman at breakfast.

Vegeta stood in the doorway and looked at the woman's parents preparing the morning meal.

"Good morning, Vegeta!" said Mrs. Brief. "You've been out training already? You must have gotten up so early!"

Breakfast was served and Vegeta really wasn't all that hungry – something that hardly ever happened. He walked into the kitchen, prepped a single plate of food for himself and walked back outside to eat it alone on the stoop. He kept eyes and ears pinned on the kitchen so he could hear the woman come in. But she never did.

He sat there for ten extra minutes with an empty plate in his hand hoping she would still come. Nothing. Finally, he walked in and put his plate in the sink.

"Where is Bulma?" asked Vegeta, surprisingly using the woman's given name.

"I don't know dear," said Mrs. Brief.

"Perhaps she was up late working and she's just sleeping in," said Dr. Brief.

"I'll check on her after we're done here," Mrs. Brief said nonchalantly.

_Damn it!_ Vegeta exclaimed within the confines of his mind. There was nothing he could do other than go back to the training room and start up his regimen again.

The same type of scenario went down at lunch. Vegeta, still smelly and sweaty, made his way to the kitchen to see who of the family would actually show up for the usual afternoon meal. To his dismay, no one showed up at all. His mind felt like it was slipping – he kept telling himself it didn't matter and that he should just move on with things, but his sub-conscious self would creep in and remind him of all the facts about why he was feeling the way he was.

As his mental war was being waged, Mrs. Brief walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. That snapped him out of the fog he had descended into while his pride and his heart battled inside of him.

"Oh hi, Vegeta!" she practically sang upon seeing the silent Saiyan standing in the kitchen.

"Woman, do you know where your daughter is?" Vegeta questioned.

"She's in her room," said Bulma's mother. "I checked on her after breakfast and she wasn't feeling well. She looked downright miserable when I saw her – something must really be wrong."

_Shit! I can't keep this up. _Vegeta exhaled as if resigned to not rectifying the situation for the time being. _I'm going to take a shower._ _Training right now is nothing but a waste of my time._

Vegeta turned to walk out of the kitchen towards his room when Mrs. Brief interrupted him again. "Vegeta?"

"Hmh," was his only reply.

"If Bulma is still sick this evening, you'll be on your own for dinner. Dr. Brief is taking me out tonight!" she told him in a super-giddy tone.

_That's just great. The perfect end to a perfect day – now I'm on my own for dinner._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta took his shower and lied down on his bed. His mind was still churning as it had been for at least the last day. He tried to sleep but was unsuccessful. He even got up to watch some TV just as a distraction from his thoughts – that didn't even work because there really was never much on the TV that he enjoyed watching. Mostly he was just bored with the content. Soon enough, he was back in his bedroom staring at the ceiling.

He heard the two older earthlings leave the home around 5pm. He remembered what Mrs. Brief had told him – 'you'll be on our own for dinner'. Funny thing was, he had hardly eaten at all this entire day and he still found himself not very hungry.

His mind continued to battle itself about what he was thinking and feeling these past few days.

_I think I need to get out of here. How else will I ever get to Super Saiyan? It's just not working here. _

_Why? Why is it not working? _

_But if I leave, I won't have the Gravity Room or the free meals. _

_Yes, but you still have to put up with this family. _

_The family isn't bad, it's that woman. You like her. _

_Yes, I do. She has spunk. And she's not afraid of me. _

_She's unstable._

_No more than you. _

_She's not happy. She doesn't know what she wants out of life._

_No, that's not it. But she invests herself – puts herself out there – and ends up getting hurt – a lot._

_It's that damn weakling Yamcha!_

_No, not entirely. You haven't exactly been nice to her._

_Why should I? I am the Saiyan prince, I don't have to do anything I don't want to._

_You called her the closest thing to a friend you have on this planet._

_That's true, I did._

_Isn't life with her in it more interesting than life without her in it?_

_Yes, it is._

_If you want her in your life, you're going to have to apologize to her._

_Me! Apologize? Never. _

_You need to._

_Hmh. I don't have a choice, do I? _

_Not if you want to get past this…_

_sigh_

He rose from his prone position and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Bulma's bedroom door was, of course, closed. _Knock, or just go in? It's probably better if I knock._

Vegeta lightly rapped on the ornate, white bedroom door. There was no answer. He tried again. He heard nothing. He was at a loss as to whether he should enter her private domain or not. It was the "I'm the Prince of all Saiyans, I can do what I want" attitude that got him in trouble to begin with.

Vegeta put his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it. When he heard a click-sound, he gently pushed the door open. The curtains were drawn and the room was not very well-lit. It didn't help that it was now evening and the sun was quickly setting making everything seem a little duller overall.

Vegeta walked towards her bed and finally he recognized the figure under the blankets. There she was, virtually motionless, facing away from him.

He walked around the bed so he could see her face. It was streaked. White salty marks could still be seen on her cheeks. _She's been crying. _Vegeta didn't care if anyone was crying in front of him. As a matter of fact, he would normally think that person was weak. But for some reason, the thought of Bulma crying bothered him. What was it about her that had such an effect on him? Why did he even consider changing who he was to the very core just to keep her happy?

Bulma's face showed no malice or stress when she was sleeping. Vegeta stared at her soft features. He recollected the first time he laid eyes on her on Namek.

_I called her 'gorgeous' on Namek. She certainly still is_. _Why do you distract me so much woman? Why can't I stop thinking about you?_

Bulma's eyes flitted open and saw the Saiyan prince sitting at her bedside staring at her. She just laid there silently staring at him, not saying a word. He was aware she was looking at him and kept looking right back. It was as if a silent conversation was being spoken between the two of them.

"Vegeta - ," she finally spoke, no sadness or anger in her voice at all.

"You're killing me woman," he quietly responded. "I can't effectively train like this."

"Like what?" she asked. "How am I affecting you?"

"I didn't mean to upset you so much," he replied.

"Vegeta, you are always cross with me. We always bicker," said Bulma.

"Yes, but there was something different about this last time," he replied. "I could almost _feel_ how sad you were. I was…concerned. It's bothering me."

"A lot has gone on Vegeta. My plan to make things better for myself didn't work. I feel bad about Yamcha. He loves me much more than I could ever love him back. And you, you just keep pushing my buttons, too. I told you to stay in that bed. But no, you had to get up and go train. I'm just sad, Vegeta. I'm depressed. Do you know what that means?"

"Well, apparently it means that you don't eat or come out of your room," Vegeta replied.

"Yeah, something like that," Bulma said. "I just don't care right now Vegeta. Life sucks - Period."

"I'm surprised that weakling hasn't come over to check on you – you say he loves you," remarked Vegeta.

Bulma's eyes watered upon hearing that last statement. She couldn't help but let a few tears stream down her face.

"I don't think Yamcha can do much for me now," she said. "He was there when it happened."

"It?" asked Vegeta.

"Our last argument. He was watching me. And he made a few observations that I don't think I was ready to hear," said Bulma.

"Such as - ," inquired Vegeta.

Bulma hesitated for a moment having not yet decided if she was ready to let the cat out of the bag. _ If there was ever a moment to let it out, this is probably it. At least I'll learn if there is anything mutual about this little crush of mine. I couldn't feel much worse than I do now even if he does reject me._

"He seems to think that I am…. That I feel….," Bulma attempted to get out her statement. She sighed and gathered herself for a couple of seconds. "Yamcha thinks that I have a crush on you."

_Crush? As in, she wants to be with me? Ridiculous!_

Unfortunately for Bulma, that last statement triggered Vegeta's pride and he went into immediate "prince" mode.

"I certainly hope that's not true," he said. "I would never even consider such a ridiculous match!"

Bulma, as depressed as she was, was not so out-of-it that she didn't take high offense to what was just said to her. Rejection she could take. Mockery, not so much.

"Get out," she said in a calm, even tone.

Vegeta didn't move. _What did she just say to me?_

"Vegeta! Get! Out!" she shouted. "Stop playing your stupid games with me! I'm done!"

_Crap, I did it again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"I said, GET OUT!" Bulma screamed. "This is my room and I want to be alone!"

Vegeta silently got up and left the room. _Idiot_, he thought, referring to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Not much changed over the next few days. Bulma would venture out of her room now and again, but she was still absent most of the time. She didn't work much and if she did, it was from the remote access in her room. She did not come to regular meals – Vegeta's comment was still stinging to her and the last thing she wanted to do was to run into him.

Vegeta tried to go on with his life – training, eating, sleeping – all three were accomplished poorly due to the mental stress he was under. He still thought about the woman, though he still didn't know why he reacted the way he did when she told him she liked him. The funny thing was, she didn't even say that she liked him…it was Yamcha who thought she liked him. She really didn't confirm or deny.

Did she like him beyond friendship? He tried to sort through the mixed messages she often sent him. The mothering, the bickering, the yelling – but there was still something there. Why did she act the way she did?

_Because she cares about you, you fool. You only need only tell her you want her and she is yours._

_Only weaklings need mates and intimacy. I am not a weakling._

_Why? Why can't you be a great warrior and still have a mate? _

_It's a distraction and a weakness._

_You're distracted now without a mate. _

_Good point. _

_There are benefits to having a mate. _

_Such as?_

_There is always someone on your side. Someone to talk to. Sex._

_Hmm. Sex. It's been so long._

_And never with someone you cared about. _

_Mating is a huge commitment. I'm not ready for it._

_Who says you can't go into it slowly? _

_No one. I can. No commitments yet. _

_You'll have to win her back. _

_She'll come around. I just need to keep my pride in check._

_Agreed._

Vegeta went from the training room to the kitchen to grab a quick snack. Then he headed up to his room. As he passed the landing on the 2nd floor, he noted that the woman's bedroom door was strangely open.

_That's weird._

That's when he heard him. He was here.

Vegeta edged his way up to the doorway and peeked into the room. There, on her bed, was Goku. He was propped up against the wall with some pillows behind him. Bulma sat between his legs – she was lying back against his chest.

Vegeta, with his phenomenal Saiyan hearing, heard most of what they were saying.

"Goku, you are such a good friend," Bulma said. "I'm so sorry that I interrupted your training, but I really needed to talk with someone I can trust and someone who hasn't been hanging around Capsule Corp lately."

"Anytime, Bulma. We've been training everyday for the androids' arrival – I don't think a few hours here with you is going to change whether we win or lose in the long run," said Goku. "Actually, it's probably a good thing - y'know, give the body a rest. So are you feeling any better?"

"Very much so," she replied.

_Chitter chatter_, thought Vegeta. _I've got better things to do._ Then he continued up the stairs to his room. It was a shame, because he probably would have enjoying hearing where Bulma and Goku's conversation was going….

"Like I said, don't ever take him personally," said Goku. "You are a very smart lady, Bulma. You have to understand where he's coming from and why he says what he says. Don't let it get to you. Just keep his past in the back of your mind."

"I'm so glad you told me more about Vegeta," said Bulma. "I hadn't realized what a horrible childhood he really had."

"Yes. And it was the only thing he knew. He was never taught about love or friendship. Everything was fighting, pride, and competition. I mean, you saw how Frieza was – and he belonged to Frieza from the time he was just a small kid. Imagine being around that for more than a decade. Imagine seeing your father killed by the very people you were forced to join and serve."

"I feel so bad, Goku. I made it all about me when I should have thought about him more," said Bulma. "Of course he's going to be a little anti-social."

Goku, of course, knew what Mirai Trunks had told him – these two were supposed to get together eventually. He was trying his best to explain to Bulma just what she was dealing with. He knew she was smart albeit a little self-centered. He needed to get her to see beyond the hard, mean exterior and the sometimes awful things that came out of Vegeta's mouth.

"I'm sure he doesn't mean half the things he says," said Goku. "You just have to not take it to heart. Let it roll right off. You'll be fine."

"You're right, Goku. Thanks for setting me straight. You've made me feel so much better," said Bulma.

The two friends hugged each other and Goku even earned a small peck on the cheek.

Bulma got up from the bed and stretched. "I'm a little hungry. Goku, can I make you some dinner?"

Goku perked up at that offer. "Yeah, sure! I'm starving!"

Bulma giggled. "Goku, when are you ever not hungry?"

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta peeked around the corner of Bulma's room and saw her sitting on the bed with Kakarrot. At his first glance, they were just talking. Vegeta was about to walk away when he saw Bulma turn and kiss Kakarrot full on the lips. It wasn't a friendly kiss; it was definitely passionate and deep. Vegeta's eyes opened wide at seeing this unexpected turn of events.

He walked into the doorway. "Keep your hands off of her, Kakarrot – you already have a mate."

Goku didn't answer the prince. In fact, it was almost as if they either didn't see him standing there – or they didn't care that he was watching them.

He tried again. "Woman! What do you think you are doing!" he shouted at Bulma.

Again, there was nothing about their actions that led him to believe that they knew he was standing there.

Vegeta didn't know what else he could say. He watched as his rival started to take things a bit further. His hands slithered their way up the front of her shirt. Hers made their way over the outside of his rear and eventually up to his muscular chest.

Goku gently nudged Bulma down so she was lying down on the bed with him overtop of her. He lifted her still clothed leg up with his arm as he situated himself between her thighs.

By now, Vegeta's mouth was gaping. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him.

Then he heard Bulma's voice. She was too preoccupied with the third class to be speaking, but nonetheless, it was her voice. _A woman has needs._

Vegeta was taken aback. He had had enough. Slowly, he backed away from the situation. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Vegeta, are you ok?"

He didn't reply. _Huh?_

"Vegeta?" said the voice again.

"Bulma?" he asked, sitting up on his elbows.

She noted that he had used her name – something he did not do on a regular basis. Her mind instantly thought about some snide comment she could make about that, but was instantly derailed because of the primary reason she was there.

"Yes, it's me," she replied. "You were screaming again. You must have had a bad dream."

Vegeta mentally gathered himself. _It was a dream._

He closed his eyes and lied back on his pillow again. Bulma was sitting on the edge of his bed near his shoulder. The minute-long silence that ensued was a bit awkward.

"It seems like you are ok now," she said to the prince. "I'm going to - "

"Stay," he finished for her. "Please."

Vegeta nudged himself over giving Bulma room to fully sit down on the bed. She sat down next to him with her back against the wall. Vegeta situated himself next to her so that he was now leaning on her shoulder. Neither one said anything.

Bulma placed her arm around him and even caressed his hair. He didn't say a word, which she took as his permission to touch him. _Poor Vegeta_, she thought to herself. Her thoughts took her back to the conversation she had with Goku earlier in the day. She didn't feel pity for this Saiyan, but she was sorry he had to endure all that he had in his life. A small smile came across her lips. She felt content. She had found her way again.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma awoke alone in Vegeta's room the next morning. _He's probably training like he always is. _

She made her way to her own bedroom to get ready for the day. Today was going to be a good day…she just knew it. She thought back to the events of last evening. Sure, they were minor in the grand scheme of things, but she felt like perhaps they had finally broken through a barrier of some sort. The talk with Goku had really opened her eyes and she made a promise to herself that she would, from now on, be the better person.

Vegeta was in a surprisingly decent mood. He slept better than he had in a very long time and he awoke next to the woman, lazily propped against him. _She stayed_. He thought of all the meanings of that dream he had had and the events that happened immediately afterward. _If I pursue this_….he stopped for a moment because he had never allowed his mind to even consider it…._If I pursue this, I will need to be strong. It cannot interfere with my destiny to be the strongest warrior of the Saiyan race. _But he did also admit to himself that what he was feeling was a strange warmth radiating from within himself. He wasn't sure what it was – only that he liked it.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Life went on as usual and the blue-haired genius and the Saiyan prince went about their business. Bulma started working in her lab again, monitoring the progress of the new 1000G Gravity Room/Space Capsule project. Vegeta went back to his train-eat-sleep mentality.

Nothing changed until a week later when Vegeta noted a presence at Capsule Corp – one that he had not felt in a little while. _Why is he here?_

He entered the kitchen through the back door and saw Yamcha eating dinner with Bulma and her parents.

"Hi Vegeta," said Bulma.

"Hmh," was his only reply.

He walked straight through the kitchen and up to his room so he could take a shower. _I thought she was done with that baka. What is going on now?_ He started to get uncomfortable with the overall situation yet again.

Soon enough, he was in the kitchen with the four others eating his dinner. He needed to monitor the situation closely. Perhaps he and the woman were not in the same frame of mind as he thought a few days ago.

_A woman has needs._

_Oh no, not that. What did she call it? Friends with benefits? Is that why he's here?_

"We've got to go, Mom," said Bulma as she rose from her chair at the kitchen table. "C'mon Yamcha."

"What are you two doing tonight?" asked Dr. Brief.

"We're seeing a movie. What's it called again, Yamcha?" asked Bulma.

"Invasion," replied Yamcha. "It's about a race of aliens who come to earth and try to take it over." He looked over at Vegeta.

"Amusing," stated Vegeta flatly.

"Let's go, Bulma," said Yamcha grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

OK guys, here is the first lemon. If you are squeamish or just plain offended by this type of material, please do not read! You have been warned!

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta sat there on the bed waiting for the earthling's return to Capsule Corp. To his astonishment, it was only 11pm when he heard the car pull up and a door slamming shut. The five minutes between that time and when the door to the bedroom opened seemed like an eternity. The light flicked on.

"What the - ?" Bulma started at the same time as she let out a gigantic gasp. "Vegeta! Don't ever do that again! You nearly scared me to death!"

Vegeta smirked. "Where is the weakling?" he inquired.

"I'm sure he is on his way home at this very moment," Bulma replied.

Vegeta felt relief, though he showed no sign of it on the outside.

"What business is it of yours anyway?" she added.

He stood up and walked over to the edge of the room where she was standing.

_What…is he doing?_ she thought to herself.

"If I do this….if we do this….we do it on my terms," he stated to Bulma.

"Uh…do what?" she asked, still apparently clueless where this was leading.

He kept walking towards her and she started to back away…that is, until her back hit her bedroom wall and there was nowhere else to go.

"Vegeta - ," she started, still attempting to figure out exactly what was going on.

He rammed his lips onto hers with all the passion and need that had been building over these past months. Her eyes opened wide with surprise at first before she finally came to terms with what was being done to her. She slowly allowed herself to ease into the kiss and began to kiss him back – gently at first, then with the same amount of passion he had used on her.

_Oh how I needed this_, they both thought at about the same time.

She made the first bold move by running her tongue across his lips asking for entry to his mouth. He immediately knew what she was asking for and allowed it. They continued like this with their mouths moving in a furious, regular rhythm. Their arms began to grope each other's bodies, not quite knowing what they were trying to feel. All they knew was this urge – the urge to be as close as possible to the other person.

She managed to insert a few words as she gasped for breath in between the kisses. "Vegeta. Bed. Now."

He swooped her up in his arms all the while their tongues continued to swirl in and out of each other's mouths. Bulma reached off to one side and turned the light switch to the 'off' position.

He got her onto the bed in no time at all. Bulma lay flat on her back as Vegeta edged next to her on his side. She felt his excitement on the side of her thigh through his pajama pants. Just knowing that she was having this effect on him turned her on even more.

That being said, Vegeta was savoring the recent smell of pleasure that had seemingly overtaken the room. Unlike a human male, a Saiyan male could easily smell when a woman was even the slightest bit turned on. Vegeta was pleased that Bulma was enjoying herself – and that she was obviously thinking along the same lines as he was. There was no question what was going to take place tonight.

Vegeta left Bulma's mouth and started sucking down her porcelain neck. She was unusually sensitive there and moaned loudly as he nipped behind her earlobe every so often.

Bulma started clamoring for Vegeta's T-shirt as she was desperate to feel skin-against-skin as soon as she could. Vegeta could feel her tugging at him and stopped what he was doing for just a nanosecond so he could bring the shirt over his head.

Bulma caught a glance of his god-like upper torso before he went for her shirt. She raised her arms above her head and shimmied so that he could easily push it over her head. He looked down to see that she still had her bra on underneath.

"If you want to wear that contraption ever again, I suggest you get it off immediately," he ordered.

Bulma knew he wasn't exactly in the waiting mood – then again, neither was she – but because she tended to wear very expensive lingerie, she wanted to save it if she could. She arched her back so she was able to reach the clasps. She unhooked them and tossed her frilly undergarment onto the floor.

Seeing her bare breasts was too much for Vegeta. He dove in right away and started to lick and suck on her left nipple while he gently kneaded her right one with his hand. Bulma closed her eyes and enjoyed the stimulation it was providing her.

He did this for the next few minutes before maneuvering his way between her legs and ridding her of her pants. She now laid there completely naked except for the soaked-through lace panties that still adorned her lower half. Vegeta situated himself between her legs and started kissing the blue-haired beauty on her sultry lips once again. He couldn't help but start to grind against her with the same rhythm their mouths enjoyed. And in turn, she pressed into him.

Bulma's arms started by wrapping around his large muscular frame and gently rubbing his back. But soon she decided to reach down her front and grab the object of her current affection through his pajama bottoms. She could tell right away that it was larger than a normal man's appendage. Not that she only went for size – she knew from past experience that it was how the man used it that was the key to being a great lover.

She gently rubbed Vegeta's protruding manhood through the thin fabric. He closed his eyes and moaned aloud, halting any other activity he might have been involved in just for a few seconds.

"That's it," he encouraged quietly. "Oh, that feels so good."

She slipped her hands down the front of his elastic waistband to feel his hardness for the first time ever with her bare hands. She spread her hands apart and gently pushed down his bottoms so that they were down at his knees. Bulma grabbed his member with her right hand while gently massaging his balls with her left.

It didn't take long before he was trembling. After the trembling came the slow, heavy breathing that led her to believe that she should probably stop what she was doing for the time being.

She stopped her stroking and pushed on Vegeta's chest so that he would roll over next to her. At this point, he wasn't going to argue against anything this woman wanted. Every touch by her sent immeasurable pleasure streaming through his body. His mind was already gone. There was no stopping this act, at least by him.

Little did he know, she was in a similar mental position. It had been a while for her as well. It definitely wasn't as long as it had been for Vegeta, but she had to admit that as much as she liked Yamcha, his skills in the bedroom were mediocre at best. He definitely left her wanting for more. Now, it seemed, she was finally getting it.

Bulma leaned in to Vegeta's crotch and took his manhood into her mouth. Vegeta gasped at the sparks that he felt by her doing this to him. He grabbed her hair and felt each thrust of her head as it went up and down over him.

His breathing once again became loud and erratic. Every once in a while, he would let out a grunt or a moan – and it was getting more and more frequent the longer she sucked.

He held back for as long as he possibly could before he yelled out that he was about to release. She didn't need the forewarning – she had done this enough that she knew the tell-tale signs of a man's peak. She had already decided that she wanted to see what he tasted like so when the moment finally happened, she took it all.

With one final gasp, he arched his back and let loose his creamy liquids straight down her throat. Bulma was still extremely turned on and this last event made it even more so. Here she was with Vegeta's pulsing manhood in her mouth and she sucked up every last drop. He was extremely sensitive after coming so every last suck and lick caused him to slightly tense from a bit too much stimulation.

Bulma stopped her oral work and looked up at Vegeta's face. She noted the familiar smirk he was now wearing.

"What?" she asked, herself smiling from ear to ear. "Don't even try telling me you didn't enjoy that. I could tell that you did."

"Shut up and turn over," he said. "It's your turn."

Bulma knew what was coming next and was a bit surprised at Vegeta's willingness to provide her with pleasure. She wasn't sure, but thought he might be somewhat stingy and self-centered in the bedroom. She was apparently wrong.

He situated himself between her legs and ripped off the only remaining garment she had on – her panties.

"You didn't have to…oh!" she exclaimed just as he took his first taste of her. She was delicious to him. Of all the whores he had had in space, the only reason he ever did this was so he could see what they tasted like. It was a turn-on for him as well. Bulma taste was different though – perhaps because she was from earth? He didn't know for sure. But he did like it.

Vegeta started slowly by running his finger, then his tongue, between her folds. Every so often he would concentrate on her nub, making her squirm and moan as he did so. He reached up and caressed her breast while he sucked and licked at her womanhood.

Vegeta put one, then two, then finally three fingers inside of her and kept flicking his tongue at her nub. Bulma couldn't help but cry out from the sensation. It wasn't long before she had had enough of the foreplay.

"Vegeta, please! I need you now!" she panted.

With no words in reply, he crawled up so that his large member was at her soaking wet entrance and he shoved his entirety inside of her with one strong push. She let out a gigantic exhale-grunt when he had reached her internal limit.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

Vegeta was not violent – but he wasn't gentle and soothing either. Rough and hard would probably be the best two words to describe his style. He pushed and pulled at a frantic pace. Bulma cried out in ecstasy.

It didn't take much of this before an already stimulated Bulma cried out that she was about to reach her peak.

"Yes, Vegeta! I'm going to – ahhhh!" she cried out.

Her body went rigid for just a split second and her head fell back against her pillow. Vegeta could feel the spasms of her internal muscles against him and it nearly sent him over the edge as well – but he caught himself. He didn't want this to end quite yet.

The blue-haired beauty looked up at her lover when the sensations finally died down to a reasonable level. Vegeta noted that she had streams of tears running from the corners of both her eyes. He paused for a few seconds to give her a chance to recover while remaining inside her hot center. His attention was turned yet again to her perfect breasts and he began to suck again on one of her nipples.

Bulma grabbed his head with both her hands as he attended to her.

"That was….amazing," she whispered.

"We're not done yet, woman," he retorted. "Turn over." With that he exited her.

Bulma got down on all fours. She was both excited and a tad bit concerned about this new position. The sensations she had historically felt from behind were far more intense than the normal missionary style. This was probably her favorite way to make love, but then again, she normally wasn't quite this hypersensitive either. It took a lot to make her come and normally it was the last thing that happened during one of her love making sessions. Now she had already peaked and there was still more to come.

Vegeta grabbed the top of her hair and rammed himself back into Bulma's womanhood. She screamed out – not in pain, but in pleasure. The feeling of electricity and fullness overwhelmed her.

Vegeta continued his frenzied pace not letting up for one second. Bulma continued to scream at each thurst. Vegeta's breathing became heavier and faster and he would let a grunt or a moan escape every now and again.

He let go of her hair and leaned down so their bodies were now cupped together in an animalistic style. The smacking of their bodies changed into more of a friction as he continued to move in and out of her. Vegeta reached around and felt her breast as it swayed backwards and forwards with his every movement.

Bulma's face and eyes had been squinched for most of this most recent turn, but suddenly, her eyes opened wide. "Oh yeah, oh yeah….YES!" she cried out. Her spasms started yet again and this time, it was too much for him to take.

Vegeta sat up straight on his knees again – his head fell back and he let out a giant roar as he released into her.

They both hardly moved at all as they waited for their organs to stop pulsating and for their respective climaxes to die down. Vegeta, not quite ready to break the contact he had needed for so long, laid down on top of Bulma and rolled her over to one side so that they were now in a spooning position on the wet bed.

They just lay there silent for quite a while. Both were equally satisfied with the outcome of their session. It felt so good to just let go and not think about emotions or what-ifs. Slowly but surely, they drifted off to sleep, more content than they had felt in a very long time.


	9. Chapter 9

Vegeta blinked his eyes open only to see sunlight streaming through the window.

_Why is it so bright in here? Wait…_

"Good morning, Vegeta," said Bulma, still next to him.

_This isn't my room._

That's when his memory kicked in. He thought of all the events that had taken place last night. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. His eyes wandered to the small digital clock that was on the bedside table.

"Shit! Is that really what time it is?" he yelled.

Bulma woke up before her lover and had a pretty good idea what Vegeta's reaction was going to be when he finally saw the clock.

Vegeta jumped up out of the bed and threw on his nighttime clothes. He ran out the door and went upstairs to his own room.

An ordinary woman might have taken offense to the suddenness of Vegeta's actions – as if it was the sight of her or the thought of their recent actions that drove him away. But Bulma knew better. She smiled to herself as she got up to get ready for her day.

They met again at the breakfast table. It was after the usual family breakfast time, so Bulma happily cooked some food for her houseguest. Before he could run down the stairs and ask her where his food was, it was on the table.

Vegeta sat down and started frantically scooping up the eggs and cereal into his mouth at a Saiyan pace. Bulma just sat next to him at the table and stared, letting her mind wander a bit.

_What did I get myself into?_

"Vegeta, can I ask you one thing?" she asked.

Vegeta grunted in the affirmative.

"I never did ask you the terms," said Bulma.

Vegeta hesitated and looked at her for a moment, not really sure what she was talking about.

"You said last night that we were doing things on your terms," explained Bulma.

His mind finally clicked about what she was talking about. "Tonight," was his reply. "Not now – I need to train. Tonight," he replied.

Vegeta finished his breakfast without another word.

Bulma felt a little less satisfied than she did just an hour ago. She wondered what exactly he was going to say to her tonight – and perhaps if she should have insisted on talking about "his terms" before last night happened. _It wouldn't have been nearly as intense then._ She sighed and cleaned up after the Saiyan prince. _Maybe that was a one-time thing after all._ Then it was off to a full day of work for her.

Vegeta spent the entire day in the 400G gravity room. His training went extremely well. Of course, there was a little bit of dissatisfaction with the fact that he had to train in 400G. This was a level that he had already mastered and he wanted more. _I need to ask the woman when that new gravity room will be ready._

Dinner went as usual and nothing was said about last night since both of Bulma's parents were there. Vegeta was the first to leave the table. He went upstairs. Bulma helped her parents clean up after the meal. She then parked herself on the living room couch and began to watch TV.

Bulma dozed for a bit, but came to when she heard a noise coming from the stairway. It was Vegeta. She hadn't really said much to him since they parted ways this morning. She wondered if things would now be normal, strained, or different in anyway between the two of them.

She sat up so she was on one end of the couch. He plopped down next to her and put his head on her lap.

_Well, that answers one question._

"How did training go today, Vegeta?" she asked.

"Best day I've had in weeks," he replied. "Though it would have been better if I could go above 400G. When is that new gravity room going to be ready, onna?"

"Hmmm…," she thought for a moment. "I'd say six more weeks."

"Six weeks?"

"Well, it's not like I've been leading you on or anything," she replied. "I told you from the get-go that it would be more than 2 months, and that was only a couple of weeks ago."

Vegeta growled a bit to himself though Bulma could hear him.

"I don't think I have a choice but to wait," said Vegeta to himself. "I know there are worlds out there with higher gravity, but it would take me longer than six weeks just to get there."

"Not to mention that you don't have a way of getting there," reminded Bulma.

"But you have - ," said Vegeta.

"Manners, Vegeta. I know you live here and everything, but don't forget we don't run Capsule Corp just to cater to you, y'know. You can't just claim one of our spaceships"

"I can take anything I want from here and there isn't a single thing you could do about it," said Vegeta.

"That's true, but you would then lose your home and all the perks you've gotten by living here," said Bulma.

She was right…and so was he. He _could_ take anything and do anything he wanted, but there was something to be said about not having to worry about a place to sleep, food to eat, or even, as of last night, someone to help him release after a long day of training.

Nothing was said immediately after this exchange. Bulma and Vegeta both thought about what was said, but then moved on because they both knew neither one of them was going to interrupt their status quo for the time being.

Bulma went back to watching her TV program. There wasn't much on so she had it tuned to a historical show about the military. Vegeta sat there with his eyes closed. His curiosity peaked though when he heard commands being shouted and weapons being discharged.

The TV show showed the evolution of the various types of weaponry and military transportation over the last 100 years.

"Were things really that archaic back then?" Vegeta asked.

"It was Capsule Corp that developed most of the vehicles that they use today. What you see here is very old," said Bulma in reply. "Now weapons and armor don't even have to take up any space – the army can just capsulize everything and easily take it with them. Supply lines have been simplified and the vehicles don't get damaged from no one watching them."

"It still seems backwards to me. Those weapons couldn't even hurt me," said Vegeta.

"Yeah, well…oh, it's not even worth talking about," said Bulma, giving up on explaining to Vegeta that the earth wasn't really concerned about space aliens or their technology at the time when they used the stuff he was seeing on TV.

Again, silence ensued.

Bulma's mind was trying to figure out a way of bringing up the subject she desperately wanted to discuss with Vegeta. But no matter how she planned it, she figured there was always a comeback for him to make against her – she's too easy, she's not worth it, she's too dependent. Finally, she decided that the direct approach was probably best. She braced herself for what he might say in return.

"Vegeta," she started.

"Hmh?"

"What are the terms?" she asked.

"I was wondering when you'd get to that again," he said.

Another pause. Bulma was getting impatient, though she still chose not to say anything.

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm surprised that contraption didn't fall apart the first time they used it!" Vegeta spoke to the TV.

"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted.

"What?" he asked.

She used the remote to turn off the TV.

"Focus. I'm being serious, Vegeta," said Bulma.

Vegeta sat up. "What do you want it to be? This _thing_ between us."

Bulma didn't know how to respond. If she said something wrong, it could risk everything. Too eager meant driving him away. Too aloof, and she might not be worth pursuing.

"I don't know how to answer that question," answered Bulma. "I enjoyed last night. And I enjoy that you don't mind being in the same room with me – like right now. There was a time you'd avoid me altogether."

"Let's put it all out there then," he started. "Woman, I cannot be tied down. My focus must be on training and the androids right now and after that, I can guarantee you that it will be on Kakarrot."

"So you are done with me?" she asked.

"Not in the slightest," replied Vegeta. "What did you call that thing you did with the weakling? 'Friends with benefits'? That would suit me. What you provided me last night does serve a purpose for me and I wish for it to continue. But you cannot get too attached. And we are not in a relationship – so don't go around telling all your earthing friends anything different! Can you handle that?"

Bulma thought about what the Saiyan prince just told her. _That's actually not a bad deal_, she thought to herself_. No attachments and no commitments - just sex. And it is great sex, too! _

"I only have two questions before I answer your question," said Bulma.

"And they are….," said Vegeta.

"If I find someone else while we are still doing this, can I call it off without you going all Saiyan on me?" asked Bulma.

"Of course," said Vegeta.

"And…if I agree to this, how often is this going to happen? I mean, can I say 'no' if I'm just not in the mood?" she asked.

"The answer to that is yes," said Vegeta. "Though after the pleasure I gave you last night I highly doubt you'll say no very often."

"I agree then," said Bulma. _I'll have to keep my emotions in check._ _No attachments, no commitments_, she repeated. _And above all, no expectations_.

That night, they acted on their verbally-agreed-upon arrangement. It was the second night that they spent together and many more would come after that.

The next two months flew by with both Vegeta and Bulma being completely satisfied with their lives at Capsule Corp. They each knew where they stood with each other and the mind games were kept to a minimum. They still argued with each other constantly, but that was one of the things they liked about each other – they both had strong wills and there was a definitely spark between them. It continued to make for great chemistry in the bedroom.

It was nearly the end of summer when the first change to their new relationship occurred. The new gravity room was complete.

June

July

August

New gravity room - safety and 1000G


	10. Chapter 10

It was August when the 1000G gravity room was finally completed. As the exact day drew near, Vegeta's questioning of the Brief family became more and more frequent. Bulma was literally being driven nuts by his constant barrage of having to answer more and more precisely when the gravity room would finally be done. It was getting to be all that he talked about. But finally, the big day finally came.

Bulma lay in her bed awake for a few minutes before finally getting up. Vegeta had not graced her with his presence last night. She was happy about this because she didn't especially feel like dealing with him this morning. Although she had her own reasons for this, she suspected that he wanted to concentrate on his training for the time being instead of expending any energy into their extra-curricular activities, at least for one night. Ever since they discovered each other's willingness to make the agreement, most nights were, in fact, spent in Bulma's bedroom together.

Bulma felt a little wetness between her legs. _I wonder_. She got up and headed to the bathroom. When she pulled down her panties, she looked to see if anything looked different than the night before. _Nothing_. She was really getting worried now.

Bulma sighed as she relieved herself. _I'd better run to the store before I start working on the gravity room._

She went about her normal morning routine, though instead of dressing for the office or the lab, she put on a pair of stained jeans and a T-shirt. She knew she was going to be spending at least half a day on the gravity room to finish it before handing over the password to Vegeta.

Breakfast was eaten with her parents and Vegeta. He was dressed for training as he usually was at this time of day. That surprised her a bit considering he knew he would have his new gravity room starting in the afternoon. She thought for sure he'd want to rest until then – it would be hard to pry him out of there after that.

Bulma sat there and played with her scrambled eggs, just pushing them around the plate for the most part.

Vegeta felt something wasn't quite right with the woman. Then he began to closely observe her behavior and knew something was bothering her.

"Woman, what is your problem?" he asked.

Not wanting to disclose anything at this point, she simply gave him the standard answer of, "Nothing."

"I can see how stressed you are," said Vegeta. "Out with it."

"Vegeta, I said nothing was wrong," she replied with an irritated tone.

He decided not to push her in front of her parents, at least for now. He finished his breakfast and exited out the back door.

Bulma finally tired of her eating/pushing her food around the plate game that she was playing and cleaned up her dishes herself.

"Dad, I'll be back in a half hour so we can finish up the gravity room. I need to run an errand," Bulma told her father.

"I'll meet you there," said Dr. Brief.

Bulma turned and went out the back door. She headed straight for one of the Capsule Corp fleet vehicles and just as she was reaching for the door handle, Vegeta suddenly appeared between her and the car.

"What do you want, Vegeta?" she asked.

"Again I'll ask you, what is your problem?" he asked.

"And you already heard my answer!" she replied.

"Woman, let me explain something to you. One of the side effects of our nightly romps is that we've started to form a bond between the two of us," Vegeta explained.

"Bond? What on earth are you talking about?" Bulma questioned.

"Onna, must I remind you once again that I am not from earth?" Vegeta asked.

"No, you really don't have to remind me, Vegeta. I think I can remember that one," said Bulma.

"You haven't noticed anything strange since we began our little arrangement?" asked Vegeta.

"Like what?" said Bulma.

"Like having a second sense about where I am, or what kind of mood I'm in?" said Vegeta.

Bulma thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so. I just thought that was because we were getting to know each other better."

"You idiot! That's the bond!" remarked Vegeta.

"You never told me anything about a bond!" Bulma struck back.

"I didn't know how strong it would be….or even if there would be one since you aren't Saiyan," answered Vegeta. "Don't worry, this is as bad as it should get unless we take things to the next level."

"I don't even want to know," stated Bulma. She turned back to the car so she could open the door thinking that the conversation was essentially over. Vegeta placed his hand on it once again.

"Now back to the matter at hand. I know you are upset about something. I need to get your blasted concern out of my mind so I can concentrate!" demanded Vegeta.

"I'm late, ok?" Bulma yelled.

Vegeta backed off immediately. "Late? You mean…"

"Well, that's where I was going, you jerk. I wasn't going to say anything until I knew for sure. But noooo, you needed to know now, didn't you?" she unloaded on him.

"I thought you were protecting yourself!" shouted Vegeta.

"I was! It's not foolproof though! Nothing is!" shouted Bulma right back. "Now, let me go!"

Vegeta stepped away and let Bulma go on her way. He fumed as he made his way towards the 400G gravity room. When he entered, he didn't even bother to do his usual warm-ups. He just wanted to smash something. He turned the gravity up to 400G right away and activated the training bots that usually helped him in practicing his blast dodging. This time, however, he went right on the offensive and started to take the bots down one by one with direct blasts. When they were down on the floor of the gravity room, he started kicking them around the room at full force. By the time he was done, they were in pieces on the floor.

Bulma left Vegeta standing there as she drove off to the closest store. She found the test she was looking for and quickly returned to Capsule Corp. She went right for her private bathroom with her newly bought package. She took out the first stick and followed the instructions precisely. After three minutes, she examined the white display screen. It was still empty.

_Nothing?_ she questioned.

Not trusting first stick, she pulled the second stick from the package. _Now I know why they sell these in packages of two or three_.

She performed the same ritual on the second stick. After three minutes, she looked at the display screen. Again, it was still blank.

_I guess….I'm not pregnant_. She exhaled. Although the tests were telling her not to be worried, she still was a little nervous. Why hadn't Aunt Flo come for her monthly visit? Bulma decided not to obsess over it – she still had some work to do on the new gravity room. The two negative pregnancy tests had given her enough confidence to go on with her day.

Bulma and her father worked on the final diagnostic testing and tweaking of the system over the remainder of the morning. They actually finished right before lunch – a few hours earlier than they had anticipated.

When they walked into the kitchen in their greasy clothes with smiles on their faces, both Vegeta and Mrs. Brief noticed the pleasant demeanor immediately.

"Well, well. You two look like you've have a good morning," noted Mrs. Brief.

"The 1000G gravity room is finally done," noted Bulma. "Vegeta, you and I will head over there after we're done here, ok?"

_She seems….relieved. I guess I know what the outcome of the test was then._ "After lunch it is," he replied.

Lunch continued without incident. Bulma and Vegeta walked out of the kitchen together afterwards and headed towards the new gravity room.

"Woman, I take it your mind has been eased," remarked Vegeta.

"Based on what you told me earlier, you already know that it has," replied Bulma.

"True," he replied.

"Why didn't you tell me about what could happen between us?" asked Bulma. "I never agreed to this bond of yours."

"I didn't think it would be that big a deal. Like I said, I didn't even know if one would form because you are from earth. And it's not like I can read your mind or anything," said Vegeta.

"Well that's a relief," answered Bulma.

"Why? What thoughts do you have that you don't want me to know about?" smirked Vegeta.

"That, my dear Saiyan, you will never know," Bulma replied. "So are we just going to be like this from now on?"

"If we remain the way we are now, yes. Like I said, if we take it to the next level, then the bond will get stronger," said Vegeta.

"Yeah, that's what you said before. I guess I don't have to worry about that, right?" asked Bulma.

"Damn straight," said Vegeta.

Bulma opened the outer door of the space capsule by inputting a code into a keypad. "The code is 28562," she said. The door hissed open. They stepped inside.

"It looks larger than the last one," noted Vegeta.

"The actual training area isn't any larger," said Bulma. "But the additional equipment needed to pull and sustain 1000Gs took up some of the extra space. We also added some amenities."

"Such as…," Vegeta followed-on.

"There is a small personal room off to the side over there," she said as she pointed down the rounded hallway to the left.

"What the hell is a personal room?" asked Vegeta.

"Dammit, I didn't know what else to call it! Follow me," said Bulma. She led Vegeta to the left where there were two doors off the corridor.

"This room is just a bathroom," she said opening the first door. "You can access it from the hallway or the personal room."

Vegeta looked inside and saw the normal tub/shower, toilet and sink that you'd see in any bathroom.

"If you use this, keep an eye on this sensor," said Bulma. "Since this ship isn't connected to the outside world, the water supply could dry up or the waste container could overflow. When this sensor turns yellow, it is time to change it all out. If you let it get to red, something will probably break and no more training for the Saiyan."

"Noted," said Vegeta.

"And this," she started as she opened up the other door inside the bathroom, "is the personal room. It isn't very big, but it has a full-size bed in here and a few shelves and drawers to utilize. There's also a small frig over there."

"Isn't this just a bedroom?" asked Vegeta.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just so small, and it just has the basics," noted Bulma. "I didn't think it was worthy of the title 'bedroom'."

She led him back into the corridor and into the gravity room itself. In the center of the room was the control panel.

"The controls operate very similarly to the 400G gravity room. But, as you can see, the dial now goes to 1000G. I know we've designed out the possibility of explosions, but Vegeta, please do not go above 1000G. You will break the thing and it will take a long time to fix. Some of these components are extremely expensive and as such, we won't be keeping spares on-hand."

Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement. "Now woman, leave me so I can start training!"

Bulma knew that Vegeta would want to get going as soon as he could and she expected his curt request to get out.

"Knock yourself out," she said as she went out the door to the gravity room.

She walked over to her lab and settled in to work for the rest of the day. She ate dinner with her parents, watched some TV, and went to bed alone.

The next few days flew by in a similar manner. She did not even see Vegeta though she suspected he probably came and got some food from the main kitchen to put in his new personal space that she had carved out for him.

When she finally got her period, she didn't even bother to tell him. By the time it arrived, it had been days since she last saw him and by then she was a little put off by his lack of appearances.

_I know we're only friends_, she thought, _but I thought there was a little more to it than just the sex. _

Vegeta trained hard in his new gravity room. He only took minimal breaks to eat, bathe and sleep. Now, thanks to the woman, he didn't even have to leave the capsule to meet any of his basic needs. It was all right here. And he had some serious time to make up for from the weeks of training only at 400G.

Two days into his retreat, he noticed a slight sense of irritation and frustration in the air. Every day after that, the feeling grew a little more so that by the time he had locked himself away for a week, he not only was looking at an extremely short temper, but he had the feeling of impending doom hovering over him. Vegeta could tell that this aura he sensed did not originate from himself. _The woman must be pissed._


	11. Chapter 11

As with many of my writings, this chapter does contain mature, sexual situations. If that makes you uncomfortable, please do not read!

OlOlOlOlOlO

It had been over a week since Bulma showed him around the new gravity room when Vegeta finally decided to take a day off to let his body recover. He knew Bulma was angry at him for staying away so long, but knew better than to let her dictate how and when he trained. _I told her that training came first._ But he also knew that if he didn't keep her satisfied that she could feel free to look elsewhere for gratification. Although he didn't need sex, he rather enjoyed it and didn't want to risk losing what he had.

He walked into the residence at about 10pm. No one was around and most of the lights were already off. Vegeta made his way to the stairs that led to his bedroom. As he rounded the landing on the 2nd floor, he noted that he heard the shower running in Bulma's bathroom. He decided to enter her bedroom and headed right for the pulled-tight door of her bathroom. He opened it only very slighty – just enough so he could see inside.

Vegeta confirmed that it was Bulma in the shower – not that he expected anyone else to be, but it was always safe to be 100% sure rather than to barge in under a wrong assumption. He turned around and locked the door to Bulma's bedroom lest any other family members come looking for her. Then he returned to his viewing crack to again spy on the blue-haired earthling.

She had already washed her hair. Now she was busy foaming up her entire body. Vegeta noticed his hardness growing as he looked at her beautiful naked body. He was definitely enjoying this covert show.

Bulma suddenly felt…turned on. She thought about it for a few seconds. _Why am I thinking about sex now?_ She couldn't quite figure out why the sudden need to release came over her. _Ah well, at least I'm in the shower… _

She reached down between her legs with her right hand and started to stroke herself. Her left hand fondled her right nipple. She gradually went from a slight, gentle rub of her womanhood to a more rigorous circular motion.

Vegeta had had enough peeping and quickly shed himself of all his smelly training clothes. He burst into the bathroom causing Bulma immediately stop what she was doing and to jump back away from the shower door.

"Vegeta! How - !" she shouted, but by the time she got it out, he had entered the shower with her and aggressively covered her mouth with his. They kissed frantically as if they were two lovers who had been apart for a month let alone friends parted for a mere week.

They went at it for more than a few minutes. Finally, both needing to pause for some air, they broke apart just for a moment. Both were panting.

"Vegeta! How can you leave for a week then just barge in here like nothing has changed?" Bulma asked him.

"Baka, it's called training and I told you that training always comes first!" he yelled at her.

_Oh my God! He's right! What was I thinking? _She snapped herself from her own feeling-sorry-for-herself attitude.

"I can leave if you want me to," he said somewhat sarcastically, knowing full well what she was feeling at that moment and that he wasn't going anywhere.

She didn't even answer as she practically jumped on him, her lips once again locking onto his and their bodies tightly pressed against one another as the water continued to fall down their sides.

Vegeta reached down and felt between her legs. The consistency of her juices was much different than that of water and he could tell that she was dripping wet with excitement. Bulma jumped when Vegeta started fondling her down there. She then let out a steady exhale-moan. Vegeta could tell how swollen and ready she was.

He grabbed her under her rear and easily lifted her up so that her entrance was now poised above his member. Bulma was extremely excited – she had never done it quite like this before. It took a very strong man to so easily lift up and completely support a woman like this.

Once in position, he gently lowered her onto himself. Now firmly situated, Bulma began to gyrate and rub against him. He let out his own moan from the overwhelming feelings of pleasure this was bringing him. Bulma moved off his mouth and started sucking on his neck as she continued to rhythmically move up and down.

Vegeta gently placed Bulma back onto the shower floor. She didn't even need to be asked – she turned around for her lover. They had discovered from their past trysts that they both preferred the from-behind types of positions. They liked their lovemaking to be more animalistic and this angle always gave them the best sensations of any they had tried to date.

Vegeta situated himself at her entrance and thrust into her forcefully. Bulma winced from the extreme feeling of fullness she now felt. How she loved doing this with this man! It wasn't long before he was pumping at a pretty good pace. Bulma moved ever so slightly with his violent movements, screaming each time he pushed inside of her.

He felt her muscles tighten around him, then release with a pulsing quality. As was often the case, this pushed him over the edge and he climaxed inside of her. He continued to pump until the orgasm died down – then he finally pulled out.

Bulma rose up from her bent-over position and turned to face the Saiyan prince. She wrapped her arms around his neck and touched his mouth with hers once again. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around her back and returned the kiss.

No more words had to be said. They were both equally satisfied and satiated. The shower didn't end quite yet as both needed to wash up (in Bulma's case, for a second time). Although most of the washing was done on their own bodies, every so often, a gentle, soapy caress would reach out from one person to the other.

Vegeta dried off and left the bathroom. His towel was wrapped around his lower half and his dirty clothes sat in a pile in the bedroom. He picked them up and made for the door.

"Stay," said Bulma quietly, not knowing if he planned on coming back or not.

"I'm not done with you yet," answered Vegeta. "I've already decided not to train tomorrow. You'd better be prepared for a very long night."

He turned and left the room leaving Bulma there watching him exit, smiling.

Vegeta returned within minutes with a T-shirt and pajama bottoms on. He crawled into her bed next to her while she inched to be close to him. Her head lay on his chest.

Bulma started to drift off when Vegeta started speaking to her.

"Woman, did you ever get….you know?" he asked.

"Yeah, it just ended," she replied. "Your timing tonight was impeccable."

"I figured as much," he said. "I guessed I would have heard about it if it hadn't come."

"Vegeta, what would you have done if I had been pregnant?" Bulma asked.

"Imagine me, a family man," he retorted with a snicker. "I don't think so."

"Yeah, I agree – you're not the Daddy type are you," Bulma replied. "But would it have been so bad – really?"

Vegeta just stared at her trying to figure out where she was going with this line of questioning.

"Woman, I have already told you where my priorities lie, haven't I? Did you hear me say 'children' when we discussed our arrangement?"

"Don't get me wrong, Vegeta. I'm not trying to get pregnant. I'm just saying, if I did, would it be so bad? I would like to have children someday and I'm not getting any younger. When I thought I might be pregnant, that really got me thinking. I could totally do it on my own if I needed to," said Bulma.

Vegeta grunted. "I guess so," he replied.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you don't want children. You are always running around reminding us how you are the Prince of all Saiyans. Yet there is no one to carry on your line so to speak," said Bulma.

"There are no female Saiyans left," remarked Vegeta.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Bulma retorted.

"You can only give me half-breeds, onna," said Vegeta.

"Well, I don't see that you have much of a choice anymore," said Bulma. "Besides, look at Gohan. He turned out ok for a half-breed, didn't he?"

_She has a point. The brat is very strong for his age. I would have expected a half-breed to be much less useful than he has turned out to be_.

Bulma could tell by his slight change of expression that she had him thinking about what she was saying. And she was satisfied with that for now.

"There's no sense in worrying about something that isn't going to happen, now is there?" Vegeta finally asked.

Bulma just smiled knowing she had made her point.

OlOlOlOlOlO

The next three months flew by without much to comment about. Both Bulma and Vegeta were comfortable with how their lives were and honestly, not much changed day-to-day. Bulma worked. Vegeta trained. They spent many evenings and nights together and separated once again the next morning. There was no "dating". No going out. Vegeta wasn't interested in any of that. He just wanted his space and his routine. And Bulma knew that and didn't expect anything different.

Every so often a friend or two would stop by to visit. Bulma knew that as much as Vegeta tolerated her friends, he had no interest in small talk or reminiscing. He usually made himself scarce when they came over. Bulma enjoyed the time she and her friends spent together and was fine with Vegeta's absence during the visits.

The bickering never did stop between two of the most stubborn people on the planet. However, with all expectations firmly adhered to, most of the bickering was for fun and was over the stupidest of things like why a certain food wasn't made for dinner or what they were going to watch on TV together.

From the outside, the relationship was stagnant and routine. But both Bulma and Vegeta were starting to fear the feelings that were growing on the inside.

By the time it was early winter, the comfort that Vegeta found in Bulma alarmed him. It wasn't that he didn't like the situation. But the attachment he genuinely felt to the woman raised flags in his head. He had always been taught that attachment and dependency were something that could be held against a warrior. If he ever got in a fight with the wrong sort of person, they could go after Bulma and use her against him. It became one of his greatest fears. He knew he shouldn't care about her – he didn't want to care about her - but the fact was, he did. And he knew it. And there was nothing he could do about it.

At this point, he definitely wasn't about to share this news with anyone.

Bulma, too, was becoming more dependent on Vegeta. As much as she always went back to the "terms of the agreement" to keep her feelings in check, she knew deep down how much she liked him and wished that he would reciprocate her wanting to take things further. She knew it was a fool's hope though. She had, by this time, known him for years. Sure, he had changed. Or had he? Maybe she just understood him better and now knew well what to expect – what to take seriously and what not to.

Vegeta knew of Bulma's feelings already. He was more familiar with the concept of the bond than she was. It had grown strong between the two of them, though it still didn't encompass actual thoughts. It was still impressions and emotions only, but Vegeta could still read her like a book. He knew it was only his own will that kept them from taking things even further than they already had. He was the one that needed to make the move, and he just plain wasn't ready to as much as he liked….loved….her. It just wasn't the right time yet.


	12. Chapter 12

Bulma and Vegeta did most of their talking between the time of sex and sleep. It was probably the sex that brought them emotionally closer together, thus making each of them a slight bit off their mental guard when bringing up certain subjects. On one particular December night, Bulma decided to bring up one of Vegeta's least favorite subjects….parties.

Bulma loved her friends and definitely didn't see enough of them – especially since everyone was training so hard for the androids arrival in less than a year and a half. She had already begun planning a Christmas get-together for everyone in her inner circle. Although it was her house and her life – hell, she and Vegeta weren't even technically boyfriend and girlfriend – she thought it best to tell him her plans well ahead of time to fend off any temper tantrums he might have as a result, justified or not.

She sat there in the almost-dark trying to come up with a way to bring up the subject with him.

"Vegeta?" she finally whispered.

"Hmh?" was his reply.

"What was your mother like?" she asked him.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked in return. When she approached him out of left field like this, he knew there was a possibility she was just trying to get some sort of future ammunition out of him. He always tried to find out why she was asking before giving an answer.

"I just want to know more about where you came from," said Bulma. "I still don't know much about your planet or your parents or…or anything. I just pick up things that you share with me here and there."

"I can't tell you much about my mother," answered Vegeta. "As with most of the females on Vegeta, she didn't interact with the males very much – and that included her own children. Once I was born, I was pretty much handed off to my father when I was only a few months old."

"Oh you poor thing!" said Bulma.

"Don't pity me or my race. That's just the way it was done. Most of the females were happy with the arrangement. They socialized among themselves and had as little contact with the males as possible," said Vegeta.

"That is so unlike Earth," remarked Bulma. "Most of my friends have always been men. You mean to say the women stayed away from the men all the time?"

"Except for the mating," said Vegeta. "But to be clear, there were a few superior females in our race who had warrior blood in their veins. They joined the warrior ranks right alongside the men."

"Did these women - ," started Bulma with her next question, but Vegeta quickly interrupted.

"Baka, what _is_ this interrogation tonight?" he questioned.

"Sorry Vegeta, I was just curious," said Bulma.

"Good night," he punctuated, letting her know that he was done with her for the time being.

Bulma definitely got the message. _Damn! That may have been the wrong strategy. I thought I could get him talking and eventually bring up the party. I think he's going to get pissed if I say anything else. Should I or shouldn't I? _Although he had already turned over, Bulma continued to stare at him, thinking.

After a minute of silence, Vegeta huffily popped back over onto his other side so he was now facing her once again.

"What?" he exclaimed.

"What?" she replied. "Oh," she said noting her thinking was bothering him. She didn't feel him as well as he felt her and he could obviously tell she still had something to say.

"Out with it or you are going to keep me up all night," said Vegeta.

"I'm having a party," she said softly, not really knowing how he'd react to it.

"So?" he replied.

"You don't care?" she asked.

"Of course I care," he said. "I don't want those losers around."

"Aw, c'mon Vegeta. They are my friends…," said Bulma.

Vegeta held up his hand to stop her pleading. "Woman, I know that ultimately there is nothing I can do about them coming here every so often."

Bulma stopped in her mental tracks. _Really, Vegeta? Why are you being so understanding all of a sudden?_

"It's not even worth my time trying to prevent it," he continued. "Just don't expect me to be there."

With that, he turned back over again and not another word was said.

_That ought to make her paranoid, _he smirked to himself.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta awoke suddenly, feeling an all-too-familiar presence nearby. He sat straight up, eyes wide. He looked over at the sleeping blue-haired beauty who didn't know – had no way of knowing – that anything was wrong.

_There's no way…._

A light came through the window from the outside. It wasn't an ordinary light – it was more like the remnants of a power blast. Then he heard the explosion – and the shouting.

"Vegeta!" he heard. It was a familiar voice though it had been a while since he had heard it.

_It couldn't be…._

BOOM! The entire wall was blasted away. Bulma shot up next to Vegeta.

"Vegeta, what's…," Bulma started to shout. But then she saw what – rather who - Vegeta was staring at. "Frieza?" She screamed.

There he stood where the wall of Bulma's bedroom used to be.

Vegeta jumped out of bed and took an instant ready-stance.

Frieza disappeared for a split second.

When he reappeared in front of Vegeta, Bulma was now in his arms - specifically his arm around her neck. She screamed again, then passed out.

"Bulma!" Vegeta shouted and made the tiniest of movements forward towards his foe.

"Ah, ah, Vegeta," said Frieza, shaking his forefinger at the Saiyan prince. "If you dare confront me ever again, she is history!" Frieza turned and left through the gaping hole in the wall.

Vegeta's mouth gaped open. It was one of the few times in his life he had no idea what he should do. If he pursued Frieza, Bulma was dead. If he didn't follow, she would either die or be his prisoner. The conflict within him was too much. He fell to his knees and screamed.

"Vegeta?" he heard. A soft hand appeared on his shoulder.

Startled, he sat straight up in the bed. He was covered in sweat and was finding it difficult to catch his breath.

"Are you ok?" said the soft female voice. Her hand moved to his back and started to caress his back in a motherly manner.

"Bulma?" Vegeta said aloud.

"It's ok," she said softly.

Vegeta came to his senses, realizing that it was just another nightmare – but it still scared him half to death. It was exactly the situation that he now feared the most. He lay back down again with his head in the crook between Bulma's arm and chest.

She felt the terror in him and knew it must have been a bad one. She gently caressed his head as he drifted off to sleep once again.

Nothing more was said between the two of them that night.

_I must stay strong_, the Saiyan thought to himself. _This cannot go any farther than it has already. I cannot…attach….love. _His mind drifted and he fell asleep.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma put on a nice pair of jeans and a bright red short-sleeved shirt. Although it was a party, it wasn't a party for diplomats, clients or businessmen. These were her friends and as much as she wanted to look nice for everyone, she knew the crowd was laid back enough that she'd still look extremely dressed up even wearing something she considered casual.

Both Dr. and Mrs. Brief were in the kitchen preparing the food for the party. Mrs. Brief loved to cook and as of late, both she and her husband had made it a purposeful hobby to experiment with new dishes from around the world. They were more than happy to take ownership of the food for the intimate party of friends.

Bulma made sure the cleaning bots did a better-than-usual job cleaning the area where the guests would spend most of their evening. She decided that the best place to have it was at one of the other buildings on the Capsule Corp property. It was where large functions were usually held for clients and shareholders of the company.

She stood in the middle of the party room and took a deep breath. _I'm ready_.

Just then, she felt another pair of eyes on her. She turned towards the door to the outside to see a short, bald man looking at her.

"Krillin!" she shouted. She jogged towards the door and gave him a big hug when she finally reached him just inside.

"Hiya Bulma! Long time, eh?" Krillin said to her.

"How's my favorite friend from the journey to Namek?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," he replied, blushing slightly at her overt nature. "I've just been training a lot."

"Where's Roshi?" she asked.

"He's talking to your Dad," said Krillin. "They bumped into each other outside."

Master Roshi and Bulma's folks entered the hall next followed shortly after by Oolong and Turtle.

It was eerie how quickly everyone got comfortable with each other again. It was as if no time at all had passed since they had seen each other last when in fact it was months. Bulma noted this and thought, _Now that is the mark of true friendship. It could have been ten years and we'd still act as if we had just seen each other yesterday._

It wasn't long before the others had arrived. There was Yamcha, Tien, Chiatzhou, Goku, Chi-Chi, and Gohan. Even Piccolo stopped by briefly to say hi to everyone, though he didn't stay long.

The food was fantastic and Goku and Gohan definitely ate more than their fair share. Soft music played in the background as everyone rotated around to talk to everyone else.

Bulma spent the beginning part of the evening talking with Chi-Chi.

"How has Gohan been?" asked Bulma to her dark-haired friend.

"Well, not that I've seen him very much lately, but he's been fine," replied Chi-Chi. "He's out with his father and Piccolo much of the time training for the androids."

"That's what I figured he'd be doing. He's such a great kid, y'know?" said Bulma. "It was great getting to know him during our trip to Namek."

"I couldn't ask for a greater son," replied Chi-Chi. "The only thing I would change is his desire to fight like his father. As much as I try, he doesn't seem to be able to give it up completely."

"I know how much Goku loves to fight," said Bulma. "If Gohan is anything like his father, you'll never get him to quit completely."

Chi-Chi sighed. "I guess I should just be happy that he studies as much as he does."

"He's strong _and_ he's smart, Chi-Chi. I hope when I have kids that I have one just like Gohan," said Bulma.

"Speaking of having kids, are there any new men in your life, Bulma?" asked Chi-Chi. "I know you want kids and you can't have kids without a man."

"Don't I know it," Bulma replied.

"Are you still with Yamcha? Or did you two call it off again?" asked Chi-Chi.

"We're off again," said Bulma. "I think this time its permanent. He's just not 'the one'."

"That's too bad," replied Chi-Chi. "He's a really nice guy."

"Definitely. And he'll always be one of my best friends. He's just not…y'know, fireworks and all that," said Bulma.

"Oh, I see," said Chi-Chi.

"I do have someone, but I'm not ready to share yet," said Bulma.

"You can't leave me hanging!" implored Chi-Chi.

Bulma smiled knowing how Chi-Chi hated to be left with just a taste of a good chunk of gossip. "Nope, sorry! I don't want to jinx it. You'll find out in good time," said Bulma.

"You'd better call me as soon as the cat's out of the bag," said Chi-Chi. "I want to be the first to know!"

"You'll be the first. I promise," said Bulma.

Yamcha came over and sat down next to Bulma and put his arm around her shoulders. "Hiya B," he said to her.

"I'm going to get another drink," said Chi-Chi as she stood up from her chair and left the pair to their conversation.

"Hey Yamcha, how have you been?" asked Bulma.

"I've been good," he replied. "How about you? You weren't exactly in the best of moods the last time we talked."

"Things have kind of…sorted themselves out," she replied.

"You and Vegeta are ok now?" he asked.

"You could say we made our peace," she replied.

"That's good to hear. I couldn't imagine having to share a house with someone like him," said Yamcha. "And to think, I thought you were actually starting to get a crush on him." He laughed a little bit.

"Yeah," fake-laughed Bulma in return. "Imagine that."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you are doing better," he said.

Goku then walked over to the pair and sat down.

"Oh hey, Goku," said Yamcha.

"Great party, Bulma," said Goku. "I love the food."

"The way you shovel it down, I'm surprised you can even taste anything," snarked Bulma.

Goku blushed just a bit. "You know me," he replied.

"So how have you guys been?" he asked. "I've been training so much I haven't seen anyone but Chi-Chi, Gohan and Piccolo for a while now."

"I've been training a lot, too," said Yamcha. "Though I have no idea how much help I'll be against the androids. That kid from the future sure made them sound tough."

"I have a feeling we'll need everyone," responded Goku. "Don't sell yourself short."

Just then, Tien shouted for Yamcha to come over and join him across the room. Yamcha excused himself and got up leaving Goku and Bulma sitting there.

"So, how have you been, Bulma? Did you get past that situation you were so upset about the last time I saw you?" Goku asked.

"Things have gotten a lot better," she replied to her lifelong friend. "You helped me out quite a bit that time you came over. I was so depressed."

"You do seem a lot happier," noted Goku. "So…are there any new men in your life these days?" he prodded knowing full well what history required to happen between her and Vegeta.

"Goku! It's not like you to ask questions like that," said a surprised Bulma. "Did Chi-Chi put you up to that one?"

In reality, Chi-Chi hadn't - but to cover himself, Goku replied with, "Aww, Bulma, you caught me!"

"Tell your nosy wife that I'll let her know in good time. And if she keeps asking me, I won't tell her at all!"

Goku cowered with both hands up, as if that would stop the verbal tirade. "Ok, ok, forget I said anything."

The socializing and gossiping continued late into the evening and a good time was had by all. Group-by-group, Bulma's friends called it a night and left her and her parents there to clean up. Yamcha was the last one there. Just as he was giving Bulma a hug good-bye, who but Vegeta came through the doors to the room.

He saw Bulma hugging her previous boyfriend but already knew that it didn't mean anything to her. Again, the bond played its part in helping the Saiyan know exactly what his woman's intentions really were. When he passed the two humans, he sneered and let out a slight grunt of acknowledgement before heading straight for the leftovers from the party.

Bulma broke the hug and she and Yamcha turned to watch Vegeta make himself right at home in front of the buffet table.

"I was wondering where he was," stated Yamcha.

"Oh, he's definitely still here as you can see," replied Bulma. "Did you really expect him to come to the party?"

"I guess not," Yamcha replied. "So this doesn't upset you?" he asked, meaning Vegeta's hubris of just barging into the party room and helping himself to the rest of the food.

"Actually, I expected it," she commented.

Yamcha looked at Bulma's smiling face as she watched Vegeta quickly scarf down a large quantity of food. _I wonder what's really going on with those two. I just hope she's happy._


	13. Chapter 13

It didn't snow very much in West City. Even so, Bulma hated the winter. It was just dreary and gray for the most part. When she did let herself out of the lab for lunch, or for a quick walk, she liked to feel the warm sunshine against her skin – or see birds flittering about.

_Ah well, only a couple of months of this and we'll be back to spring again. _

She found herself working more than usual over the past few weeks since Christmas because of the general dullness of the outside world. Vegeta had trained more than usual as well. It was still over a year away until the androids' arrival, but he had still not maxxed out the 1000G gravity room that was built for him. That posed a challenge to him that he could not deny, which was ironic in a way. He liked to be at his peak physical form, but if there was still space to grow (in this case, he had progressed only to 600G by this point), he would push himself beyond normal limits to reach the new limit. So essentially, he was always working towards boredom. As with the 400G gravity room, once he reached the 1000G peak of this gravity room, he would have reached the pinnacle once again and caused himself to require a new challenge - a new higher limit he could set for himself.

Vegeta was in his gravity room training one day in the middle of January when he zigged when he should have zagged. One of the bots that was carefully directing his own ki towards other bots in the room shot him square on his left shoulder/chest area.

Vegeta lost control for a split second and fell to the floor of the gravity room.

_Shit!_

He had been taken by surprise – it wasn't often that he let himself get hit with a blast. It only took a few seconds before he settled down and accepted his mistake. _You're not perfect and you never will be. You can't learn if you don't make a mistake now and again._

He powered down the gravity room and made his way towards the bathroom that was now built into the capsule where he trained so he could look at his injury.

It just so happened that all this occurred right around lunchtime. Bulma and her parents were in the kitchen eating sandwiches when the steady low hum of the gravity room suddenly left their consciousness.

"My word!" exclaimed Mrs. Brief. "He can't be done already!"

"He must be done training for the day," noted Dr. Brief.

"He just went in there this morning," said Bulma, knowing where exactly Vegeta had been until about 7am this morning. "There's no way he's done. He only quits training at lunchtime when he's been in there since the middle of the night."

Bulma's folks knew exactly what had been going on between their daughter and the Saiyan guest but had accepted the situation long ago. After all, Bulma was an adult and had been for quite some time. She knew how to handle herself.

"I'd better go make sure he's alright," said Bulma. With that, she went out the back door and headed towards the capsule.

She opened the outer door and stepped inside. The gravity room was definitely not activated.

"Damn it!" she heard from down the hallway.

_What did he do now?_

She walked down to the bathroom. The door was open and there he was with the top to his training uniform pulled off and hanging off to one side. She noted a rather large gash to his left chest that was primary red and black in color. The red was from the blood that was escaping his body; the black was from the singed skin around the wound.

"Vegeta, what happened?" she asked.

He had known she was coming – he felt her presence getting closer – so this intrusion was not unexpected.

"What does it look like, woman?" he said sternly.

"Well, I'm not stupid, but I guess I've grown accustomed to you not 'missing' very often," she replied.

Vegeta actually liked that reply. It pumped up his ego albeit just a bit. The woman knew how good he was so when he made a mistake, it was rare.

She didn't wait for an invitation. He already had out the gauze and tape and was prepared to wrap the wound himself. Bulma had seen him do it before and decided to head that disaster off before he even had the chance to really start.

She grabbed a white cloth and wet it in lukewarm water. She then pressed it to his wound.

"AAAHHHH!" he screamed.

"C'mon you big baby," she said to him in a calm voice. "I've seen some of the injuries you've sustained before and this is nothing compared to them."

"It still hurts," he replied.

"Then this will really hurt," she said and hit him with some disinfectant immediately afterwards.

"DAMN!" he screamed.

_Baby._

She grabbed a few large gauze pads and gently laid them over his open wound. She then secured them with some tape.

"There. Try not to move too much over the next 24 hours," she told him.

"Woman, you forget I heal faster than…," Vegeta started.

"And a human would probably take a week to get over this. I know what you're going to say already, Vegeta. That's why I'm telling you 24 hours," said Bulma.

He sighed. _She's getting to know me so well._

"Alright, I'll take the next 24 hours off," he conceded.

"Now come with me and I'll make you some lunch," she said.

The two made their way back to the kitchen inside the residence and Vegeta sat down and waited for Bulma to make him a few sandwiches. All the fixins were still out on the counter – Bulma's parents had just finished eating themselves. Bulma assured them she'd clean up so out the door they went. Dr. Brief headed to his lab and Mrs. Brief went to her control station so she could get the housebots to start the laundry.

Bulma sat at the table with the Saiyan prince and watched him eat.

"What are you staring at, woman?" he snorted with his mouth half-full of food.

"I just had an idea," she replied.

He gave her a look. She already knew his defenses were up.

"C'mon Vegeta! Hear me out," she pleaded.

"What is it?" he relented.

"Do you think you can still fly?" she asked.

"Of course I can still fly. What a ridiculous question," he answered. "What does a shoulder have to do with flying?"

"Well, if you think you can, do you think we can…um….," she started, but then hesitated.

"What?" he was losing his patience.

"Can we go somewhere warm?" she asked.

"Warm?" he questioned not really understanding where she was coming from.

"Yeah, like near a beach or something. Somewhere where it isn't winter right now," she explained.

Vegeta thought about that one before blurting anything out. Bulma had been good to him lately. She hadn't nagged him or asked him to do anything over the top. She didn't make him go to that party a few weeks back and didn't even say anything when he barged in and ate all the leftovers when it was done. It was almost like they were finally understanding one another – completely. Plus, warm sounded pretty ok to him, too. He was from Planet Vegeta, which was naturally much warmer than Earth was. Lately, he spent most of his time inside, so he hardly noticed the cold weather. But when he did feel it, it wasn't very pleasant to him.

"Ok," he relented. "There are a few conditions…"

"I figured there would be," she answered, waiting to hear what was coming next.

"I don't want to go anywhere where there are people. I'm not in the mood to be around people right now," he said.

"Vegeta, you are _never_ in the mood to be around people. You only put up with them when you have to," Bulma explained.

_A truer statement was never made_, he thought to himself.

"Also, you have the next day to make this happen. I will give you more than the 24 hours you gave me. That would put us as lunchtime tomorrow. I will give you the whole day tomorrow. But that next morning, we are back here, understand?"

"It's under control," she replied. She jumped up with delight. "Thank you so much, Vegeta!"

Vegeta continued eating his sandwiches. He noted that he actually took some satisfaction in how happy he had just made her. And, he gave her a bit of extra time, too. That seemed to make her pretty darn happy as well.

Within ten minutes, she was back. He was in awe at how fast she had gotten ready. She was now clad in shorts, a T-shirt and there was a bikini bathing suit obviously tied underneath the shirt. In her hand there was a bag, which he guessed to be holding capsules, sunglasses, and tanning lotion. Her feet were now adorned with sandals.

"I just told my Mom that we were going to be gone for a day," she told him.

"Baka, we still need to get there," Vegeta observed. "You are going to freeze in that get-up."

"Oh, good point," she said and she ran out of the room once again.

She entered once again wearing a heavy down parka and boots.

"This should do it," she said. "I'm ready."

Vegeta was finished with his lunch. He pushed away from the table and headed out of the kitchen. "I will be ready in five minutes myself. Clean up this mess."

Bulma happily obliged and cleaned up the kitchen. Vegeta reappeared with a fresh set of clothes on.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" she asked.

"My ki will keep me warm," he answered. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the back door.

She slipped the bag (a string backpack) over her shoulders and grabbed hold of Vegeta from behind.

He didn't fly as fast as he could for her sake, but it didn't take long at all before Bulma noticed they were now mostly over ocean with islands dotted in-between.

"Will this do?" he finally asked her.

By now she was sweating due to the boots and parka she was wearing. She knew they had reached a warmer climate.

"Yes, this is fine," she answered.

Vegeta landed on the next small island he came across. He wanted it small enough so that he could tell from the air that there were no other inhabitants on it.

Upon landing, Bulma's first action was to toss her winter garb onto the sand.

"You'll be needing that for the ride home," Vegeta noted.

Bulma stuck her tongue out to imitate panting, "It's just so hot right now," she noted.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her case of capsules. She took out one with a purple label on it. She clicked it and threw it onto a flat dirt area just off the beach. It popped open to reveal a tiny capsulated home. She opened the front door and went in. Vegeta followed her to see what she expected them to sleep in that night.

It was cozy, but clean. It consisted of one bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a bathroom and a small kitchen stocked with food for three days. It was definitely perfect for the occasion. Now Vegeta had all the comforts of home, was in a warm climate and with the woman he liked to have sex with for the next day-and-a-half.

Satisfied, Vegeta took shed all his clothes and walked back outside.

"Vegeta?" she questioned noting his bare backside walking out the door.

He didn't reply.

She walked to the door and looked at him. "Vegeta? What are you doing?"

"We're alone aren't we?" he asked.

"Yeah, but…," she replied. She couldn't think of a good answer for him. "Good point," she finally said.

He walked into the ocean up to his waist so as not to get his bandages wet or his wound infected. He looked out into the ocean to see several flying fish jump out of the water in front of him. Vegeta exhaled. As much as he hated rest and relaxation, he knew it was necessary every so often just for one's health and recovery.

Vegeta turned around. In the doorway was Bulma, now fully naked herself. He smiled to himself as he made his way towards her.

Bulma blushed a little when she looked at him. For one, although they had seen each other completely naked on many an occasion, she wasn't used to it being in the full sunshine on a beach in the middle of nowhere. Second, seeing him naked usually only happened in the throws of passion.

_Wait_, "Uh, Vegeta?" she questioned as she started talking to the man now approaching her.

"Yes?" was his reply.

"You're horny, aren't you?" she asked.

"You are finally getting the hang of this bond, huh?" he noted.

"Um, yeah. That and the fact that you're half hard already," she said.

"Good observation," he replied.

When he finally got to her, he rammed his lips onto hers and they immediately starting going at it fast and furious. Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. His hardness rubbed up against her pubic area and her lower abdomen. That just served to turn her on faster as the frantic kissing continued.

Vegeta took his good hand and reached down into her folds. They weren't very wet yet, but he didn't want this first time on this island to be a long one. He foresaw that much of their time was going to be spent screwing and frankly, he'd rather do it in a nice, comfortable bed rather than on the beach. The long hours of pleasure would be spent this evening.

"Woman, go get a towel," he ordered.

"Sure, Vegeta," she answered as she quickly grabbed one from their little temporary abode.

She handed him the towel and he spread it out on the sand.

"Believe it or not, as romantic as beaches are, they aren't very pleasant when you either get sand in your crotch or in your mouth," he noted from experience.

_Oh, wow. I never thought of that_, she remarked to herself.

Vegeta pushed her down onto the towel so that she was seated, leaning back on her hands. He made his way between her legs and began to lick her womanhood. His tongue would flick back and forth, then up and down. Sometimes he concentrated on her nub and other times he would move down to her opening itself.

Over time, not only did she get wetter and wetter, but she became more verbal as she found herself getting closer to her peak. "Oh Vegeta!" she cried out. He took that as his signal to stop.

"Not too far," he said to her and he stopped what he was doing. She looked at him with puppy dog eyes as if to ask why he stopped.

"Get up," he ordered.

She did as she was asked and she stood up from her position on the towel. Vegeta then took his place where she was, laying on his back. He motioned for her to climb aboard.

"I'd rather you do the work this first time," he said.

She immediately understood. After all, they were here because of him getting shot in the shoulder with his own deflected blast.

Bulma straddled the Saiyan and lowered her lips to his. As she kissed him, he gently guided his manhood to her opening. She lowered herself onto him and began to pump up and down. Vegeta put his right hand on her now-moving hip. His face was in the perfect location to see her breasts now gyrate back and forth with every movement of her body.

Bulma would cry out more often as this went on. Even Vegeta grunted and moaned every so often letting her know the pleasure he was feeling.

Bulma readjusted herself from sitting on her knees to now resting on the bottoms of her feet. This gave her more leverage for pumping and changed the angle at which she attacked her lover. Instead of a slow grind, she was now doing a fast vertical pump.

Vegeta reached up and grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it. She flung her head back and closed her eyes when he did that. A few pumps later and she was screaming. "Vegeta, I'm...!"

They had gotten so that they could time their climaxes to happen at the same time most of the time. This occasion was no different. Both the earth woman and the Saiyan could feel when the other was on their way up the final pathway to ecstasy. This was not only physically, but mentally as well. It was one reason why this bond happened in the first place.

Both screamed out at the same time as they slowed down their mutual pumping and waited for all the juices from both orgasms to finish emptying into and onto one another. Bulma collapsed on top of Vegeta and she took a few breaths. Both were breathing heavy immediately following their lovemaking session.

She leaned up and looked at him in the eye and smiled. "I could never get sick of this," she commented. Bulma then gingerly pulled off of the pole she still had inside of her. Vegeta just laid there. She walked back to the small house and retrieved another towel. She laid it on the sand next to his.

They just laid there for the next half hour, happy.

The rest of the day was spent in the sun. They swam, talked, ate dinner, and just took pleasure in each other's company.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Sorry for the weird ending that was posted here before guys. I have edited it out. That is twice now that it has happened to me! I often keep notes about future chapters at the bottom of my pages and even though I erase them - or at least I think I do - they keep popping up. Since it has happened to me before, I even checked this time and my notes were still on there. Sorry guys! I'll try to be more careful next time.


	14. Chapter 14

The remainder of the day they spent together was seemingly perfect. However, their minds were definitely not at ease. Each was thinking about what exactly this day could possibly mean for their futures.

Bulma's thoughts were along the lines of how she couldn't believe she actually got him to agree to this. Although he was injured, Vegeta was still the type of man who would rather sulk, or even try to train and injure himself more rather than come to a beautiful tropical island with her. Perhaps he cared for her? Well, yes – she thought that she had established that already. Though he did show it only in his own peculiar way. They had never agreed to more than "friends with benefits". She had already been reminded what he had officially agreed to time and again until she had it down pat and didn't expect any more from him. But at times like this, when he went out of his way for her, she was still taken aback at how sweet he could be. She had definitely fallen for him and couldn't expect him to do the same.

Vegeta looked at Bulma who was just sitting there in the sun, thinking to herself. He was content with the situation - and he controlled the situation to his satisfaction. The truth of the matter was – he was still not a Super Saiyan. He would need to double his already enormous efforts now that the gravity room was able to go to 1000G's. He knew she wouldn't like it – even though she didn't have a leg to stand on if she did oppose him spending even more time away from her. He knew that on some level, as much as he loved fighting and winning, he did want to spend time with her. His priorities were in-line, however, and the androids had to come first – which meant being the strongest had to come first. The mere fact that he wasn't a Super Saiyan meant that he was not the strongest. And if the rededication to the gravity room didn't do it for him, he knew he would have to leave – even if it was temporary, it would be difficult.

Bulma looked over at Vegeta and noticed he was staring at her. "What?" she finally said.

"Hmh."

She smiled. "I'm going to go take a shower and get dinner ready." She got up and left him sitting in the sun by the waves.

45 minutes more had passed and Vegeta supposed he should go get cleaned up as well. He rose from his sandy spot and went into the capsule-house. He was met with the aroma of cooking meat.

Bulma turned and looked at him when he entered. She had on a ridiculous apron that said "Kiss the Cook". It had frilly white lace on the edges and the cutest pink and purple writing on the front.

"Woman, what do you have on?" he asked.

"Oh c'mon Vegeta, it's just so I don't get anything on my clothes," said Bulma. "You know I can't cook like my Mom can and I'm at least making an effort here."

He gave her a look. "Whatever," he retorted and headed for the shower. When he finally emerged clean and dressed, he was greeted with an enormous layout of food on the table. It looked scrumptious!

"Y-you did all this?" he asked, surprised.

"Some of it was bought and I just capsulated it and brought it along," she replied. "But I just cooked the steak and potatoes."

His facial expression was one of thankfulness and surprise. Bulma knew he appreciated her efforts even if he didn't say it out loud.

They sat and ate the dinner.

"Onna, that was some meal," he finally said to her.

"You look like you are ready to explode, Vegeta," she said as she walked over to him and patted his ever-so-slightly rounded belly.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" he yelled, not entirely being serious – and she knew it.

"You didn't say that earlier," she replied.

"Clean up this mess," was the only comeback he could think of right then.

"Ok, _your highness_," Bulma smiled and walked back away from him.

There wasn't much to clean up actually. She soaked most of the dishes in the sink just so the food crumbs wouldn't be impossible to get off later. She threw away any scraps of food that were left – definitely not enough to save for leftovers. The last thing she did was wipe off the table with a dishtowel.

"There. Satisfied?" she asked Vegeta. "Now, go over there," she instructed him.

"What? Where?" he questioned.

"Go into the bedroom and sit on the bed," she clarified. "I've got dessert, but first, I want to check your injuries and put new bandages on your wounds. Don't tell me you actually changed your bandages after you came in from the beach?"

"Er - I, um," he said.

"I know you, Vegeta. Too well. You still have on those yucky bandages from the beach. You may have not gotten them buried in sand or drenched in seawater, but they are still dirty even so," she said.

He exhaled in defeat as he watched her enter the bathroom. She re-emerged with bandages, tape and scissors.

He fumed while she unwrapped him from his dirty bandages.

"So what do you think Vegeta?" she asked.

"About what?" he answered.

"Your wounds really weren't that bad. They are completely closed and have started to heal already," she replied. She pulled him up off the bed so he could look at himself in the mirror. First he looked from the front – then turned so he could see the back.

"Do you think I need to wrap it up again?" she asked.

"I doubt it," he replied. He swung his left arm around in a circle and then back and forth. It felt a little sore still, but not too bad.

"I'm healing faster than even I thought possible," he said. "I think - ."

Bulma looked down in sadness. "You want to go back, don't you?" she asked. "So you can start training again. Even after only half a day."

"Of course I do," he replied.

Tears started to stream from the corners of her eyes. She was desperately trying not to cry and he could see it. She wiped them away.

"I'm trying not to be weak, Vegeta. I know you need to train…," she started.

That's when he pushed forward and slammed into her lips. She was taken aback, not expecting this sudden burst of affection. Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck and he did the same around her waist. They held each other tight while their mouths connected passionately. Their tongues and lips danced together, completely in sync with one another.

Finally, he broke the connection and sat her down on the bed.

"Bulma, we have to talk," he said.

Her ears perked up immediately sensing the importance of what he would be saying.

"I - ," he started. "I - ," he tried again to no avail. He paused. "I want to be clear that I like having you around."

She easily read between the lines and knew that he would never be a verbal person. She appreciated his effort though.

"I really like you, too, Vegeta," she replied.

"This has gotten complicated for me," he continued. "As much as I want to continue with the status quo, I'm afraid that I can't."

"Why Vegeta? Aren't you happy?" she asked.

"Onna, I'm happier than you know about some things and downright unhappy with others," he replied. "I am still not strong enough to face the androids. And I am still not a Super Saiyan like Kakarrot is."

"I understand, Vegeta," she replied.

"I need to train harder than ever," he explained. "And I know that might mean that you'll be looking elsewhere to meet your needs..."

"No," she said, interrupting him.

"But – ," he started.

"Vegeta, unless want me gone – and if you do, please be clear about it – I'm just going to have to wait for you. That's what you do when you love someone, right?" she asked.

"I – uh," he started again. "What did you say?"

"Vegeta, I love you," she clarified. "I know you probably don't feel the same way. Hell, you probably don't even know what love is. But I care for you deeply, even if you don't love me. I will be there to support you no matter what."

He clenched his brow, thinking for a minute or two trying to take in what he was just told by this earthling. What should he do? Let her go? Let her wait? He wanted her around and if she wanted to wait, so be it.

"I need to train," he repeated.

"You already said that," Bulma smiled back at him.

"You may not see me for a while," he explained. "And if you do see me, it won't be like it is today. I'll practically be living in the bedroom behind the gravity room. I'll need to avoid all distractions – including you."

"I understand, Vegeta," she said again. "I'll keep your private room stocked with everything you need."

"I may even need to go train in space," he said.

"I thought it might come to that eventually," she explained.

"You really want to wait, woman?" he asked.

"On one condition," she said.

"You are not in any position to be giving me conditions," insisted Vegeta.

She placed her finger on his lips. "One condition," she repeated. "I want you to show me the night of my life tonight. Starting tomorrow morning, you can do whatever you want."

Vegeta leaned in to start kissing this unbelievable earth woman when she pulled up abruptly. "I almost forgot!" she squeaked out.

"What?" he said exasperated.

"Dessert!" she cried out.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," he slapped his forehead when she said that out loud.

She left the room and returned in no time at all with a bowl in her hand.

"What's that?" he asked.

She pulled out a huge chocolate-covered strawberry and held it out in front of his mouth.

Vegeta smirked. "Are these for me? Or you?" He knew full-well that chocolate-covered strawberries were among her favorite foods.

"A little of both," she smirked right back at him. He took a bite of the fruit that she was holding.

"Good?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied. "Edible."

She smacked him. "You don't know what good is."

He reached into the bowl and got a large berry and held it up for her. She leaned in sensually and took a small bite. "Mmmmm," she said after chewing a few times.

The bowl of strawberries were unceremoniously set aside as Vegeta moved in and pressed Bulma down onto her back on the bed. Their lips met again, this time in a less urgent manner. It was a passionate kiss – a slow, deep, rhythmic kiss – the type of kiss that lovers give each other when they know they will most likely be parted for quite some time.

They were both determined to make this night an unforgettable one. They took their time in removing all their clothing and slipping underneath the sheets on the bed. They had all night after all.

Bulma lied flat on her back and Vegeta moved from her lips down to her right cheekbone and finally down to nibble on her right earlobe. His actions were met with multiple soft moans from Bulma .

He gently used his left hand to caress her already-hard nipples. His mouth soon followed his hands and he spent ample time giving Bulma's breasts their due. Vegeta gently moved from one to the other and back again. Bulma's back arched ever so slightly from the sensations his mouth was giving her.

She reached down to grab his hardness while he was lavishing her with sexual attention. Vegeta had not expected the touch and jumped slightly when she grabbed him. She gently moved her hand up and down the shaft, paying special attention to the sensitive tip area where a drip of wetness already resided.

Vegeta's hand moved to Bulma's womanhood and caressed her folds. He noted that she was already extremely wet and sensitive by the way she gyrated against him as he moved his fingers.

That didn't last long as Vegeta soon moved so that he now straddled Bulma in a backwards manner so he could use his tongue where his fingers just were. The sensation was explosive for Bulma and she subconsciously started to press her hips up into the air to meet Vegeta's mouth as he licked and swirled.

Bulma looked up and noted that Vegeta's manhood was now within reach of her own mouth (they were, after all, about the same height), so she pressed it back so that she could take the tip into her own mouth. Vegeta was hoping this new position would encourage her to give him pleasure as he was giving her the same.

As she sucked, his moans became harder to suppress and the room was now full of the sounds of lovemaking – or in this case, foreplay.

Talking wasn't necessary because of the bond that they shared. Vegeta knew that Bulma was almost at her peak. He held back just enough himself so that he could release right after her - the way he liked to. He waited until she yelled out in ecstasy before letting himself spurt inside of her.

Vegeta rolled off and righted himself. The night was still young and much more was to come, but he would definitely need a few minutes to recover of which she was happy to oblige him. Bulma continued to play with Vegeta as he lay there staring at the ceiling.

He closed his eyes and thought about sex, Bulma, and what he could expect in the coming hours. Before long, he was hard and ready to go again. Bulma could tell he was ready and she got up on all fours, inviting him to come to her.

He positioned himself at her entrance and gently pushed in. Sex was good between Bulma and Vegeta no matter what kind of sex it was – hard and fast, passionate, slow and gentle, angry, sad, or make-up. This particular time, she noted it was slow and emotional – one of the least frantic sessions they had ever had.

They stayed up half the night not wanting to end their lovemaking. It ended up being a total of five times each before they finally fell over in exhaustion.

Bulma looked over at the Saiyan prince who nearly passed out immediately after hitting the pillow. _He's never been that attentive to me before._ She smiled knowing that this night would give her some of the most memorable moments of her life. Even so, she sensed the sadness that both of them felt about the changes that were going to happen as soon as they got back to their regular lives - in the morning when they returned to Capsule Corp.


	15. Chapter 15

Not that Bulma didn't really expect it to, but things definitely changed after their island getaway. Vegeta was true to his word – he spent 95% of his time away from the residence on the Capsule Corp grounds.

Bulma knew better than to go after him in any way. If she had learned anything from the time it took to finally make peace with Vegeta, it was to respect his wishes and not to push her luck. He was blunt, but he was honest. He could respect her enough to tell her exactly what he expected. There were no games with him, as much as she thought there were in the beginning. But it wasn't easy, either. He was a fighter – a warrior – and if Bulma wanted to be with him, this situation is exactly what she would have to endure.

True to her word, Bulma would visit the gravity room to make sure that Vegeta had everything he needed. She made sure the house bots would change his bed and towels at least weekly. Daily, she would personally bring him the foods that she knew he preferred so he would never have to even think about where his next meal was coming from.

She would always look over at the door to the chamber itself as she exited the capsule. She often heard the sounds of energy blasts coming from within. She was happy, but still a little melancholy. _I can't wait until these androids are a thing of the past._

Every so often, she would be treated by a very tired Vegeta crawling into bed with her very late at night. She would hear him come into her bedroom and wrap his arm around her waist as he went to sleep. Without fail, he was gone before she got up the next morning. And just as Vegeta had said, there was no sex. It was all business. From his visits though, she swore she felt his inner conflict. He missed her, too. That sustained her for now.

This was life at Capsule Corp for a total of six weeks.

OlOlOlOlOlO

That's when the night that changed everything happened. Well, it changed things for Vegeta, because he _knew_ after that. Bulma, as smart as she was, was not so observant of the little things.

Vegeta decided that this was going to be a night he spent next to his woman. He wanted to feel her in his arms even if that's all that it was. He had already done this a few nights over the last six weeks, so he knew it was acceptable to her.

He showered and changed before heading back to the residence. He slowly opened up her bedroom door and, in the pitch black of the room, climbed under the sheets so he could be next to her. She was already sleeping – he could tell by the way she was breathing. Bulma barely moved as he nudged to be closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and closed his eyes.

His dreams that night didn't take him very far. He wasn't feeling much emotion at all – he wasn't happy, sad, upset, or angry – he was just content. Bulma was there. He looked up and she was cooking breakfast for the family in the kitchen. She was smiling and laughing.

Vegeta looked over and saw that she was talking to her mother who was apparently making fun of some sort of cooking technique Bulma was trying to use. Mrs. Brief got up out of her seat at the table to give Bulma a hand. Dr. Brief was also at the table, being his usual patient self waiting to be served his morning meal.

Mrs. Brief took over for Bulma who pouted just a bit at being displaced. He could tell she really wasn't that upset. She didn't really like to cook anyway and was more than happy to let her mother take the reins.

A sound from just outside of the kitchen caught his ear. Bulma perked up when she heard it and she left the kitchen just for a moment. When she returned, there was a baby in her arms. The three other adults in the kitchen turned their full attention towards the baby. The baby stopped crying and was now fascinated with the three faces that now looked at him.

Wait, was it a him? Vegeta, still seated, tried to get a better look through the people who were now in his way. He couldn't quite see the baby – he could only tell it was there, in Bulma's arms. He stood up to try again to get a better look. Then….the dream ended.

Vegeta's eyes popped open back in the real world.

_Odd._ He had never had a dream like that before. Usually, he dreamt of training, or had nightmares about something happening to Bulma. Sometimes he was even fighting Kakarrot or his brat. But a baby? That was totally out of left field.

_Wait._ That's when he felt something. _Something's….different._

He stared at Bulma who was still sleeping away. _There it is again. It's coming from….here_, he thought as he placed a hand gently on her abdomen. Every so often he would feel…well, it felt like a surge, or a small spark.

_Is that….ki?_ His eyes then opened wide with understanding. _Oh no. But she….she said she was protecting herself. _

"It's not foolproof though! Nothing is!" he remembered her saying the last time she thought something like this might be wrong.

He sat there wide-awake pondering the situation and what it meant.

He thought of another time they sat there in this very bed talking. Bulma had said to him, "Don't get me wrong, Vegeta. I'm not trying to get pregnant. I'm just saying, if I did, would it be so bad? I would like to have children someday and I'm not getting any younger. When I thought I might be pregnant, that really got me thinking. I could totally do it on my own if I needed to."

_She wants kids. Now it looks she is going to have one. And she is prepared to do it on her own. She'll have to – I can't just stop fighting because I have a child. She knows that. Maybe this is for the best. I'll have to see how she reacts. If she expects me to change…no, she won't expect me to change._

He slithered out of the bed when he saw the sun had started to rise outside.

_I think it best if she finds out on her own._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma had eaten a lot of food at the dinner table. Even she was surprised at how much spaghetti she had consumed that evening. By the time she was ready to head to her bedroom to get ready for bed, she was feeling a little bloated.

_I can't believe I ate that much_, she thought to herself. And now she just wasn't feeling right.

She put on a nightgown. As she sat in the chair in front of the dresser mirror, she looked down at her slightly protruding belly and put her hand on it.

_Something's just not sitting right. Maybe I'm about to get my period._

She got up and took a small datebook out of a bag from the floor. She started counting days.

_No, it hasn't been that long, has it? How did I miss it?_

In fact, not only had she missed her last period, but it was supposed to have occurred quite a while ago. She had just been too preoccupied with work to even notice. It's not like she had had much sex anyway.

She counted again, just to be sure. _But this was even before the trip to the island!_

That's when the realization hit her. _I bet_….she started thinking. _I'll go out and get a test tomorrow just to be sure._

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma ran out and picked up the double-pack of pregnancy tests early the next morning. She entered the store at exactly 8am when it opened. Unlike the last time she was late, she actually felt strange this time like there was definitely something off. Something was going on with her body and it just so happened that this strange feeling coincided with a missed period.

She went straight to her room when she got home and took the test. She placed the stick on the top of the sink and stared at it. Her eyes only averted their gaze so she could briefly examine her watch to see if the 3 minutes was up yet.

A small faint line showed up after only a minute. By the time the third minute had elapsed, the line was very dark and was about the same color as the reference line next to it.

_I'm…pregnant. What am I going to do?_

As so many other women had done before her, Bulma's first instinct was to panic. As soon as there was no way to deny it anymore, her mind instantly started whirring.

_Vegeta….unmarried….reputation….alone….support…..friends….fat. Get hold of yourself Bulma!_

She walked to her bed and lied down. _Ok, so I'm pregnant. What's the first step? Tell Vegeta? No! Definitely not. He's training. He won't be happy anyway. He doesn't need this distraction. I won't tell Vegeta. I can't tell my parents either. They'll insist that Vegeta be told – or they'll just tell him themselves if they ever see him. I've been telling myself I want a baby. I'm in my 30's for goodness sake. I can raise a kid alone. I'm rich. And I have parents who have always supported me. I can do this!_

Bulma had a new determination about her after having the opportunity to think about the situation. She had formulated plan in her mind about how things were going to work from here on out. The only question was what she was going to do when Vegeta finally figured it out for himself…after all, she wouldn't be flat-stomached forever. She decided she would cross that bridge when it was time but that she had more pressing matters right then and there.

Her first call was to her ob/gyn. It just so happened that the doctor had a cancellation later in the morning. Bulma hopped in her car and went to her doctor to make the appointment. They called her back to the examination room and had her change into a paper gown.

The door opened and in walked a middle-aged woman.

"Why hello Bulma," said the woman. "It's been a couple of years, hasn't it? You haven't been keeping up with your annual exams."

"Hi Dr. Olson. That's true, but I think you'll be seeing me a lot more often from here on out," said Bulma.

"Do you think you're pregnant?" asked Dr. Olson.

"I'm pretty sure I am," said Bulma. "I took one of those pee-on-the-stick tests this morning and saw two lines."

"I see," said Dr. Olson. "Let's have a look at you then."

Bulma propped herself up on the stirrups so the doctor could examine her.

"Wait a moment," said the doctor, who turned and stuck her head out the door. "Susan, come here for a second!"

One of the nurses walked up to the doctor and they exchanged words. The nurse left and Dr. Olson turned to face Bulma once again.

"I'd say you're pregnant," said the doctor to Bulma.

"Aren't you going to have me tested just to see for sure?" Bulma asked.

"I can tell by looking at you," said Dr. Olson. "You aren't just barely pregnant either…but I have a way to pinpoint it."

The nurse knocked and slowly opened the door. She brought in a machine with her and left it for the doctor to use. Dr. Olson prepped the probe. "Now, this might be a little cold, Bulma," she explained.

She put the probe into Bulma and adjusted it ever so slightly until she saw what she wanted to see. She hit a button on the machine and something started printing.

"You're about 8 weeks pregnant," said Dr. Olson. "Here is your baby." She handed the paper to Bulma.

When Bulma saw the picture, she started to tear up. "This is my baby?" asked Bulma.

"Sure is," answered Dr. Olson.

Bulma examined the photo. It didn't look like a baby. It looked like…a lima bean. But she knew better…babies certainly didn't look like babies until they were much further along. She would treasure this first look at her new son or daughter.

Dr. Olson cleaned up and Bulma put her clothes back on. They went over nutrition, future appointments and how they would work, and future testing including a more in-depth ultrasound and some blood tests.

Bulma thanked her doctor. Still grasping the picture, she headed back to her car and headed for the nearest bookstore. She wanted to buy a few books on what she could expect over the next 7 months.


	16. Chapter 16

The next few weeks were an absolute blur for both Bulma and Vegeta. Both knew what was going on, but neither one said anything to the other person. The only change that was noted in the status quo was that Vegeta was decidedly spending less time in the bed snuggling with Bulma. She figured it was due to his training schedule. Little did she know that she was, in a way, correct - but not for the right reasons. Vegeta consciously decided that, in order to train more effectively and since Bulma was pregnant, that he had to separate himself from the whole situation.

Bulma was happy being pregnant. Vegeta had been right. She was more than willing to go it alone. And he also noted that she did not tell him. He respected her for that knowing that the main reason she had failed to mention anything was because she knew that she and the baby would be a distraction. He thought about that long and hard – and ultimately appreciated her for her efforts and understanding. Of course, being the man he was, he would never actually tell her that.

Bulma's parents were also very happy for her. They directly reflected her emotional state about the pregnancy. Since she was happy, they were happy. They bonded over the baby that was growing inside of her and, as much as they hated how Bulma was going about things, they respected her and knew their place as far as never telling Vegeta about what was really going on.

And so life went on…day-by-day.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It had been nearly two months after she had found out about the baby. Bulma was in her room by herself looking at her profile in the full-length mirror. She ran her hand over the slight bump she now could see protruding from her midsection.

_Yep, definitely a baby in there. How are you doing baby?_

The pregnancy moved along without much ado. Bulma thought that she might have a….different? hard? strange? pregnancy. After all, it was a half-Saiyan who resided in her body. She took some comfort in knowing that Gohan was a great kid and that Chi-Chi had only ever told her good stories about carrying him when she was pregnant.

_It can't be too bad then. _

She sat there admiring herself in the mirror for a minute or two more.

whizzzzz

_Hm? What's that noise?_

BOOM!

_Oh shit!_

Bulma knew exactly what was going on. She threw on a pair of stretchy shorts and a loose T-shirt and bolted out of her room and ran to the stairs right outside of the kitchen door. She made it just in time to see Vegeta's 1000G training capsule lifting off from the ground.

_What the hell?  
><em>

Soon both her mother and father were by her side with their hands up to their brow looking up into the sunny sky. Many of the Capsule Corp employees were coming out of the surrounding buildings and labs to see what the commotion was all about.

Bulma watched until she couldn't see the ship anymore. _He's gone._

Although Bulma had thought about this possibility occurring, she did not think that he would just up and leave without even telling her – warning her – that he was leaving. _And I never even got to tell him. _She placed her hand on her belly.

She was sad. But there was never a doubt that he'd be back. She just didn't know when.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Vegeta was now in a spaceship exiting the earth's atmosphere. He sat there, strapped into the pilot's seat, feeling the pull of the thrusters as he was rocketed away. His body didn't have any problem with the G's that were being pulled - but he'd have to wait until he was further into space before he could begin training once again.

_She'll be fine_, he kept thinking to himself.

He pondered over what had happened in the last few weeks and what ultimately made him decide to take his current course of action.

Bulma had been a trooper. She didn't say a word to him. But even so, he knew that she carried his child and that tempted him….tempted him to spend more time with her. No, he needed to train. He cared, but he needed to train. His child. She was carrying his child, the heir to Saiyan royalty.

Not only did he battle himself, but the inner battle did take a toll on his sleep. The fact that he could sense her joy bothered him. He wanted to feel the joy, too. No, he had to train. The androids were coming. Best to get away so he didn't have a choice. No temptation in space.

And so the decision was made. And there would be no chances for arguments to occur or attempts to be made to convince him otherwise. He wasn't going to tell anyone.

OlOlOlOlOlO

With Vegeta now gone, Bulma made the decision to call up Chi-Chi and let her be the fourth person to know her secret. She thought it best to invite her to West City and tell her in person. It would be good to see her friend again and have a little one-on-one time.

Chi-Chi arrived one drizzly day in the middle of summer. Bulma saw a taxi pull up to the front of Capsule Corp and Chi-Chi got out.

"Hi Chi-Chi," Bulma yelled, waving from the door to the residence.

"Hi Bulma!" shouted Chi-Chi back.

Chi-Chi entered the kitchen and the two women started off their day together by having a drink at the kitchen table together. Chi-Chi opted for some fruit juice while Bulma just had a glass of water.

"I'm surprised to see you drinking water, Bulma," noted Chi-Chi. "I thought you drank coffee almost all the time."

Bulma laughed. "Well, yeah. I love my coffee," she noted. "It was never _all_ I drank though."

The lack of coffee could have been Chi-Chi's first clue to the change in Bulma if she had been really paying attention. She thought this visit was purely a social one. Well, yes, it was a social visit, but Bulma did have her reasons for reaching out.

After some gossiping in the kitchen for about an hour, Bulma showed Chi-Chi to the living room so they could continue their talking on the couch.

Chi-Chi finally got to the point of the visit when she asked, "So how are you Bulma? Is everything ok?"

"Yes, everything's fine!" Bulma retorted. "Why do you ask?" She wasn't fooling anyone.

"Now Bulma. You look fine, but that answer – let's just say, Gohan gives me a lot of practice to tell when there are things to be read between the lines."

"Gohan? How is he anyway?" asked Bulma.

Chi-Chi gave her "the look" noting how she was trying to change the subject.

Bulma sighed. "Ok, ok."

"I was going to tell you anyway, I was just waiting for the right time," said Bulma.

"Tell me what?" asked Chi-Chi.

"I'm…." she started and paused. "I'm pregnant."

Chi-Chi's eyes opened wide – so did her mouth.

"I know," said Bulma. "Go figure, huh?" Bulma nervously laughed.

"W-Who?" Chi-Chi asked. "Yamcha?"

"No, we're not a couple right now," said Bulma. "We haven't been for a while."

"I knew you broke up, but you almost always got back together. I just figured...wait, it's not…," Chi-Chi started. She looked at Bulma and knew the answer.

"You're _kidding_!" she was flabbergasted. Chi-Chi was utterly silent after that last comment. She looked like she wanted to say something…wanted to ask something...but nothing was coming out.

"Chi-Chi, I know it is a shock, but believe me….please believe me when I tell you that he is not the man you think he is."

Chi-Chi's eyebrows lifted as if to question Bulma's last statement.

"I've gotten to know him….the _real_ him. Yes, he's a pain-in-the-ass most of the time. He's demanding, selfish, and usually doesn't think before he says things…but I've also seen how sweet and loving he can be. It's just in his own way," said Bulma.

"Is that enough for you?" asked Chi-Chi. "Is the love he is willing to give to you enough for you?"

"Yes, I think it is," replied Bulma. "And now, we have _this_," she said wrapping her arms around her belly.

Reality was starting to set-in for Chi-Chi_. This is really happening to her_, she thought. _I'm not sure I could be strong enough…I mean, I've lived through a husband who was dead for such a long time, and then he was alive, but on another planet. And here she is…with Vegeta…and I still think I may have had the better deal._

"I'll support you however I can, Bulma," noted Chi-Chi.

"Thanks," replied Bulma.

The two ladies continued their visit. They talked about Goku, Gohan, androids, Vegeta, the Ox King, living in a city vs. living in the middle of nowhere, flying people, Namek, Frieza, training, cooking, Bulma's work, and many other things including what it is like being pregnant with a half-Saiyan. It was a wonderful visit and as Chi-Chi was heading out the door to catch a taxi back to the airport, Bulma made her promise to keep her secret for her. Again, she thought it would be distracting – she knew how hard all the men were training to prepare for the big battle that lay ahead.

Chi-Chi smiled in agreement as she went out the door.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Just under five months in and Bulma was definitely sporting a bump. She could still hide her pregnancy, but just barely. She wore stretchy pants and big shirts. Unlike a lot of women she knew, Bulma was lucky in that her pregnancy seemed to stay firmly in her midsection. Other women showed their pregnancy with fingers and feet swelling and massive weight gain apparent in both their midsection as well as in their chin, arms and thighs. Bulma had categorized pregnancies into two types – those where the body was changed forever, and those where you would never know a woman was pregnant days after she had given birth. She could tell she was going to be the latter type – she was going to grow a beach ball on her front and when it was over, she would look just like she had before.

Early one morning Bulma headed in for her 20 week ultrasound. She was very uncomfortable – in order to see the baby, she had to fill her bladder and not pee for about a half hour beforehand. She was never so relieved when the technician finally gave her permission to hop off the table and relieve herself in the adjacent bathroom.

She hopped back up again and watched the black and white screen intently as the wand slowly caressed her stomach.

"Wait! Is that….?" she blurted out.

"Hm?" the technician, who was concentrating on her job let escape from her lips.

"That, there," she pointed.

"That is what you think it is," the technician confirmed. "It's a boy."

Bulma sat back and relaxed. _Vegeta, we're going to have a son._

OlOlOlOlOlO

At that very moment – in space – Vegeta had just showered and was resting on his bed. He felt happier than he had in a while.


	17. Chapter 17

Bulma continued to visit her doctor regularly during the last four months of her pregnancy. To her dismay, Vegeta did not return nor did he send any word as to his well-being. Although it really didn't surprise her, she still harbored the slightest bit of hope that he would return.

Her belly grew significantly in what seemed like no time at all. At first, Bulma simply needed to wear stretchy pants to overcome her increase in size. By the seventh month, she was in full-blown maternity clothes and unable to get a good night's sleep. If it wasn't her growing stomach getting in her way, or the baby kicking her in just the wrong spot, then it was the constant need to get up and pee no matter what time the clock showed.

She was a trooper, handling everything by herself with the added support of her parents. She decided on a baby blue room with bright red accents for her son that was soon to come into the world. Her mom delightfully agreed to take on the job of buying all the amenities that the room would need including a crib, dresser, and changing table. By the time it was finished, the room was fit for a prince.

Bulma and Chi-Chi would often speak on the phone about the upcoming happy event. Bulma would sometimes falter in her ability to do this alone, but Chi-Chi would always explain how it was with a Saiyan as a significant other and how strong she would need to be if it were to work out in the long run. Bulma always felt re-energized and re-committed after her talks with Chi-Chi and the rest of the world never needed to know about her occasional doubts.

OlOlOlOlOlO

It was a chilly fall October day when it started. Bulma woke up at 5 AM with a tightness in her stomach. She had experienced Braxton-Hicks contractions – also called false labor – but these feelings were somehow different. Actually, when she first felt the discomfort, they weren't nearly as bad as her Braxton-Hicks usually were.

She shrugged off the slight unease and decided to go about her day as usual – just a little earlier than she usually did.

Bulma showed up to have breakfast with her parents at the usual time. She was helping her mom getting the food to the table just like any other day. When she reached into the refrigerator, she felt a slight stab to her abdomen. She immediately doubled over, OJ in hand, and stood that way for a few seconds until the sensation passed.

"Bulma, sweetie – are you alright?" asked Mrs. Brief.

"Y-yeah Mom. I've just been having this tight feeling in my stomach all morning and now, well, that one was a sharp pain," Bulma replied.

"You'd better keep an eye on it," said Dr. Brief. "It's about that time, isn't it?"

"I'm a week before my official due date," said Bulma. "But you're right Dad, it could be anytime."

The three Briefs sat down to have a hearty breakfast. Mrs. Brief noticed her daughter grimace every so often.

"I don't think you should be working today, honey," said Mrs. Brief after the meal was done. "Let's see if this develops into anything. Go to your room and rest. Watch some TV. Take a nap."

"Do you think this is it, Mom?" asked Bulma.

"It definitely could be," said Mrs. Brief. "Call your father and me if you notice any patterns forming, ok?"

"I hope this isn't it," said Bulma. "I was hoping Vegeta would be home before the baby was born."

"If he came home now, he'd be in for quite the surprise, wouldn't he," laughed Dr. Brief knowing full-well Vegeta had never been told he was going to be a father.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," remarked Bulma as she left the kitchen.

The next few hours went exactly as Mrs. Brief thought they would. Bulma wasn't too sure, but was quickly convinced when the pains she felt became more intense and surprisingly predictable. She laid down in her bed and watched TV and even took a warm bath two different times to try to alleviate some of the pain.

It was mid-afternoon when Bulma finally decided to call for her mother. Mrs. Brief had purposely kept close to her daughter's room and even silently checked in on her from time to time throughout the morning and early afternoon.

"Mom!" yelled Bulma. "Mom, are you there?"

Mrs. Brief stuck her blonde head into the bedroom doorway. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think it is time. I'm down to 6 minutes," said Bulma.

"I'll tell your Dad. Get your bag and let's go," said Mrs. Brief.

Bulma grabbed her tiny bag and headed for the car. She opened up her cell phone and dialed Dr. Olson on her way out to let her know what was going on and that she'd be at the hospital in less than 15 minutes.

Bulma checked in and was immediately sent to labor & delivery triage to be examined. A nurse checked her progress and asked her questions about what she had already endured at home and quickly surmised that it was time for her to be given a room in the delivery ward.

Bulma was shown to her room and she changed into hospital clothes. Her mother was there with her – Dr. Brief had decided that he would be more comfortable waiting in the family area. When Bulma was born, fathers in the delivery room just wasn't done and he wasn't about to start now with his daughter of all people.

Bulma had the fetal monitor hooked up as well as a monitor that would tell the doctors and nurses the strength, duration, and frequency of each contraction she had. Now all she had to do was wait it out and endure the pain.

Dr. Olson arrived in no time and performed another check on her patient.

"Bulma, looks like…..looks like you are about 4 cm and 90% effaced. I don't think it will take very long. You've progressed pretty far already."

"4 cm? Can I get an epidural then?" asked Bulma.

"Absolutely. I'll send for the anesthesiologist as soon as I leave," answered Dr. Olson.

The doctor made sure she was set up with everything she needed for the long haul ahead. The nurse on-duty was given her instructions.

"Just one last thing," said Dr. Olson. "I'm going to break your water."

"You're going to _what_?" asked Bulma.

"When women come to the hospital ready to have their baby, but their water hasn't ruptured yet, many times we'll rupture the membranes for them. It makes the process go much faster."

"Just please make sure that anesthesiologist is coming soon after you do it," said Bulma. "I can't take much more of this."

Dr. Olson laughed a little. "Ok, Bulma. It's a deal."

Bulma got her epidural and rested comfortably for the next several hours while her body did all the work. Her mother stayed by her bedside and could often be seen caressing her only daughter's blue hair while she sat there.

It was nearly midnight when Bulma woke up from a short nap. She had a puzzled look on her face and felt her protruding stomach.

"Is everything ok sweetie?' asked Mrs. Brief.

"I think so," answered Bulma. "I just have…"

Bulma leaned forward and grunted.

"What?" asked Mrs. Brief.

"…the urge to push," finished Bulma.

Just then the nurse walked in. "Did I hear you have the urge to push?"

Bulma nodded.

"Don't push yet," said the nurse. "Let me check you." The nurse stuck her hand up under the sheets that covered Bulma. "You are definitely ready. If you feel the urge, go ahead and push."

Bulma felt a relief wash over her. It was the hardest thing not being allowed to push when it was all your body wanted to do.

The next contraction hit and Bulma beared down and gave it her all. The nurse and her mother were right there guiding her and encouraging her. She got a total of two 10 second pushes in with each contraction she endured.

In about an hour, the nurse called for Dr. Olson to come into the room for the final stages of the delivery. She was dressed to the nines in scrubs and a facemask. She positioned herself between Bulma's legs, which were now firmly secured into stirrups.

"Ok Bulma, the head is definitely crowning. Give it your all when you feel the next one coming on," said Dr. Olson.

Bulma didn't even acknowledge that the doctor was, in fact, talking to her. She kind of nodded once in the affirmative, but by this time she was exhausted and just wanted the entire ordeal to be over.

The doctor looked over at her contraction plotter and saw that it was starting to go up again.

"Now push!" said the doctor.

Bulma squinched her eyes and grabbed the backs of her thighs and pushed hard. When the contaction ended, she let out a gigantic exhale and flopped back onto the bed.

"I think you only have a couple more to go," said Dr. Olson.

Bulma was re-energized by that last remark. _I want to see my son NOW! _She pushed yet again.

And then it happened. She felt a small pop. "The head's out," said the doctor. "One more small push…."

Bulma obliged and the next thing she knew, there was a small boy covered in ooze now adorning the top of her belly. The nurse immediately grabbed a towel and started to frantically rub the baby.

The doctor smiled at his patient. "It is most definitely a boy, Bulma. Congratulations."

Bulma started tearing up knowing that her son was now a part of the world.

"There's just one thing," said the doctor.

"What is it?" asked Bulma who could still look down and see her son's face as the towel continued to clean him off. The doctor stopped the nurse and opened up one side of the towel.

"This," is all she said, holding up a brown furry appendage.

_Oh my God, he has a tail! I didn't even think of that!_

"I don't know why we never saw this on the ultrasound," said the doctor. "But this boy has a tail. We can make arrangements to have it removed when we circumcise him if you'd like."

_Vegeta does pretty well without a tail and none of the other Saiyans have a tail either. Oh, there's that full moon thing. It's probably safer without one because of that. _

"That's a good idea," said Bulma. "Let's do that."


	18. Chapter 18

Two days later, Bulma and Vegeta's son was home at Capsule Corp. It took virtually no time at all to fall into a new routine around the residence. All three adults – but especially Bulma and her mom – did most of the caring for the baby.

"I love the name you picked for him, Bulma," said Dr. Brief at the lunch table one day. "Trunks. Such a unique name. I don't' think I've ever met a Trunks before."

"Thank you, Daddy," replied Bulma. "I liked it." _I hope Vegeta likes it._

As busy as she was with the new baby, Bulma found herself thinking more and more about the Saiyan prince who was training out there in space somewhere. The family seemed a bit incomplete without him. She missed him, but now she was caring for his child and her heart ached just a bit when she thought of the fact that he had never even met him.

_Vegeta, when are you coming home?_

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma's thoughts of Vegeta again waned after there was no sign of the Saiyan coming home at all. Chi-Chi had come to visit a few times during the early months of Trunks' life. The most enjoyable visit was probably when Trunks was four months old and the 24th World Martial Arts Championship was being televised.

The women watched the entire event together on the television. There was a lot of head shaking and tsk-tsking going on. How ironic was it that the greatest warriors on the planet were too busy training so that they could save the world and here were these losers competing for the title not knowing anything about their impending doom or how weak they really were in comparison to the real warriors.

"I mean, just look at the guy," said Chi-Chi from Bulma's living room couch.

"He has muscles, but definitely not one of the most attractive men I've ever seen," remarked Bulma from the floor where she was playing with Trunks on his baby quilt.

"You know, he's the father of the junior division champion," said Chi-Chi.

"That cute 11 year-old girl?" asked Bulma.

"Yeah, what was her name…V-, V-," she snapped a few times in an attempt to remember the junior champion's name.

"I think it was 'Videl'," said Bulma.

Chi-Chi snapped. "Videl, that was it. She'd be a good match for my Gohan someday," she said not knowing how true her statements really were.

"There's no way that guy is going to win," said Bulma. The name flashed up on the screen. 'Hercule Satan'

"He has a big mouth," remarked Chi-Chi. "He never shuts up."

"Speak for yourself," said Bulma.

Chi-Chi feigned being insulted. "Are you saying I talk too much?"

"Pot, kettle," said Bulma.

"You're probably right," noted Chi-Chi. "Still, he looks like an idiot. It's one thing to talk big and have the goods…"

They watched as Mr. Satan defeated his first opponent.

"Well, Chi-Chi, he's no Goku or Vegeta, but he must have some skills to advance to the next round," said Bulma.

"I guess so," said Chi-Chi. "I still think he looks like an idiot."

"I don't disagree," said Bulma.

Over the course of the next two days, Mr. Satan had won the World Martial Arts Championship. Both women were stunned, though made a quick and easy peace with it because they knew this doofus never would have won if all of the Z fighters had been available to compete. They would just have to live with him and his big mouth for the next several years - until one of their friends or family members defeated him at the next tournament. It was just something they would have to live with for the good of the world.

OlOlOlOlOlO

Bulma was sound asleep when she heard crying coming from the baby monitor. She woke up, but kept her eyes closed. She hesitated for about 10 seconds trying to come to her senses before finally putting her robe and slippers on to go check on Trunks.

She plodded her way to her son's room which was situated right down the hallway from hers. She saw her mom also coming to the room from the other direction, but assured her that she had it this time.

When she walked in, she heard her son wailing in his crib.

"Did you have a nightmare, Trunks?" Bulma asked.

It took a few minutes, but the young boy eventually calmed down and fell back asleep on his mother's shoulder. Bulma continued to savor the moment with her son and paced back and forth all the while rubbing his tiny back.

She gently placed him back in his crib and placed the homemade afghan she used for a blanket over him. Everything was now fine and she was free to go back to bed…which was exactly what she did.

A dark figure appeared outside Trunks' sliding glass door just after Bulma left the room. The figure stood there - seemingly floating - for just a few seconds before slowly opening the door on the 2nd floor. Slowly, the figure crossed a small beam of light that was being emitted from the nightlight on the wall. The dark figure was Vegeta.

He made his way over to the crib and looked down upon his son.

Honestly, the first thought that crossed his mind was, _I can't believe his hair is that color_. But he continued to stand there and admire his first son. _He has strong features. I can see both of us in him. _

Vegeta looked up and saw another figure in the doorway.

"Bulma," escaped his lips.

"Hi Vegeta," she replied. "This is your son." She nodded at the baby in the crib.

"I know," he replied. "I knew you were with child before I left. But I knew you could do it alone."

"You were right," she replied. "I was strong enough."

"I never had a doubt," he said.

Vegeta took his glove off of his right hand and reached his arm down into the crib and caressed his son's hair.

"His name is Trunks," Bulma told him.

_Trunks. You are going to be a great warrior someday, little one._

OlOlOlOlOlO

**Epilogue**

Vegeta returned to Capsule Corp in April of the year 767. Although he had returned, Vegeta returned to his arduous training regimen and barely saw either Bulma or Trunks. Bulma hadn't expected any different, but was happy to have him home on earth where at least she knew he was safe.

Vegeta had attained the level of Super Saiyan while in space, though it was something he shared with no one until he unveiled it when fighting with Android 19 in May of 767.

Chi-Chi kept her promise not to tell anyone about Bulma's pregnancy or son, which was made very easy with the frequent absence of Goku and Gohan from the Son home. They were also training for the androids' arrival.

Trunks was finally introduced to all of Chi-Chi's friends on the day of the android's arrival. She brought him with her when the Z fighters gathered on the island where the initial fighting was expected to happen. Although it was surmised that Trunks was perhaps Yamcha's son, that idea was quickly squashed by Yamcha himself denying the relationship.

Goku somehow knew Trunks' parentage and name without having ever being told.


End file.
